Temple of the Foliated Cross
The Temple of the Foliated Cross, like the Temple of the Cross, has several names. Naah K'anal Te', or some variation on this, was probably the proper name of the structure itself. Its Central Tablet depicts a world tree this time in the form of a maize plant, flanked by a youthful and older K'ihnich Kan B'ahlam, whose age again corresponds to the date of his entry into Okte'-ship and his accession.
Central Tablet from the Temple of the Foliated Cross.
The secondary texts of the Central Tablet, which will be added in a future update to this website, provide further information about the K'ihnich Kan B'ahlam's relationship to the dynasty's founder, K'uk' B'ahlam. Seemingly on the same day as his accession, the glyph blocks from E7-9 state that, "he changed the structure? of K'uk' B'ahlam." This short passage suggests that K'ihnich Kan B'ahlam wished to stress that fact that he was performing important work for the dynasty through his building projects. Additionally, it suggests that the site of the present Cross Group had probably held great religious significance for many years, perhaps even as early as the founding of the dynasty as is also suggested in the K'atun Histories of the Temple of Inscriptions.