Subsequent reconstruction of the stucco panel by the Project's restoration experts confirmed that "Shield of the Sun God", the figure depicted in the sculpture, was indeed identified by the hieroglyphs as heir to the throne. The question remained, was "Shield of the Sun God" a title once used by K'inich Ahkal Mo' Nahb' III himself, before he went on to become king, or was it the name of his eldest son and heir, a previously unknown prince of Palenque?
There was also the possibility that the stucco panel depicted another "head prince" altogether, such as a son of the ruler before K'inich Ahkal Mo' Nahb', who might have died before he became king. Although it might seem unlikely that K'inich Ahkal Mo' Nahb' would have created a monument to a prince other than himself or his own son, David Stuart cautions that the hieroglyphs themselves rarely provide the information we need for these sorts of conjectures based on historical context. |
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