 = Toniná = 
 
 Tonina ( or Toniná in Spanish orthography ) is a pre @-@ Columbian archaeological site and ruined city of the Maya civilization located in what is now the Mexican state of Chiapas , some 13 km ( 8 @.@ 1 mi ) east of the town of Ocosingo . 
 The site is medium to large , with groups of temple @-@ pyramids set on terraces rising some 71 metres ( 233 ft ) above a plaza , a large court for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame , and over 100 carved monuments , most dating from the 6th century through the 9th centuries AD , during the Classic period . Toniná is distinguished by its well preserved stucco sculptures and particularly by its in @-@ the @-@ round carved monuments , produced to an extent not seen in Mesoamerica since the end of the much earlier Olmec civilization . 
 Toniná was an aggressive state in the Late Classic , using warfare to develop a powerful kingdom . For much of its history , Toniná was engaged in sporadic warfare with Palenque , its greatest rival and one of the most important polities in the west of the Maya region , although Toniná eventually became the dominant city in the west . 
 The city is notable for having the last known Long Count date on any Maya monument , marking the end of the Classic Maya period in AD 909 . 
 
 = = Etymology = = 
 
 Toniná means house of stone in the Tzeltal language of the local Maya inhabitants , an alternate interpretation is the place where stone sculptures are raised to honour time . However , this is a modern name and the original name was either Po or Popo , appearing in Classic Maya texts in the title used for the kings of Toniná , k 'uhul po ' ajaw ( Divine Lord of Po ) . A Maya rebellion in Colonial times , in 1558 , featured a group called the po ' winikob ' ( People of Po ) . Early versions of the Toniná emblem glyph bore a doubled po glyph and the term Popo is also found in Colonial records . Since double sounds were often abbreviated in hieroglyphic texts , Popo may represent the original name of the city . 
 
 = = Location = = 
 
 Toniná is located at an altitude of 800 to 900 metres ( 2 @,@ 600 to 3 @,@ 000 ft ) above mean sea level in the Chiapas highlands of southern Mexico , some 40 miles ( 64 km ) south of the contemporary Maya city of Palenque , Toniná 's greatest rival throughout its recorded history . Toniná is separated from Palenque by mountainous terrain and the site core is located along an easily defended ascending limestone ridge immediately to the west of a seasonal tributary of the Río Jataté , one of the two rivers forming the Ocosingo Valley . 
 
 = = Rulers = = 
 
 Rulers of Toniná recorded in the Maya script on Toniná monuments include : 
 The last known recorded date at the site is featured on Monument 101 as 15 January 909 CE . 
 
 = = History = = 
 
 
 = = = Early Classic = = = 
 
 Toniná had a particularly active Early Classic presence , although the Early Classic remains lie entirely buried under later construction . Due to this , early texts are scarce and only offer a glimpse of the early history of the site . An 8th @-@ century text refers to a king ruling in AD 217 , although it only mentions his title , not his name . 
 Ruler 1 is depicted on a couple of Early Classic monuments , the better preserved of which is an altar that dates to 514 . A ruler known as Jaguar Bird Peccary is represented on a 6th @-@ century stela , which describes him acceding to the throne in 568 . 
 The first mention of Toniná in a record from a foreign state is from the site of Chinikiha , located 72 kilometres ( 45 mi ) to the northeast on the Usumacinta River , the text is from a throne and describes the capture of a person from Toniná in 573 . 
 
 = = = Late Classic = = = 
 
 
 = = = = K 'inich Hix Chapat = = = = 
 
 Toniná 's history comes into focus in the Late Classic , when its historical record is more fully represented by hieroglyphic texts . In 633 K 'inich Hix Chapat is recorded as installing two subordinate lords but little else is known of his reign , although he was probably enthroned in 595 . The last mention of K 'inich Hix Chapat is in a monument dated to 665 that appears to be a memorial stone . 
 
 = = = = Ruler 2 = = = = 
 
 Ruler 2 acceded to the throne of Toniná in 668 . His rule is marked by warfare and the frequent depiction of bound captives on his monuments . Ruler 2 established the use of in @-@ the @-@ round sculptural style that came to typify the stelae of Toniná . A monument dated to 682 depicts three naked prisoners with their arms bound , one of them is identified as a lord from Annak ' , an as yet unidentified site . His reign may have ended with his defeat and capture by K 'inich Kan Balam II of Palenque in September 687 , as described in a glyphic text from Temple 17 in the rival city , an event that probably culminated in his sacrifice . 
 
 = = = = K 'inich B 'aaknal Chaak = = = = 
 
 K 'inich B 'aaknal Chaak was enthroned in 688 , twenty years after Ruler 2 , and reigned for twenty @-@ seven years . During his reign he restored Toniná 's power with a number of military victories over Palenque , and his reign was dominated by the struggle against the rival city for regional power . Ballcourt 1 , the larger of Toniná 's two ballcourts , was dedicated in 699 to celebrate three victories over the city 's arch @-@ rival . The ballcourt originally had six sculptures of bound captives , all vassals of the enemy Palenque king from the Usumacinta region . The date of the king 's death is unknown . 
 
 = = = = Ruler 4 = = = = 
 
 Ruler 4 came to power in 708 at a very young age . Three years later , in 711 , while Ruler 4 was still a child , Toniná gained an important victory over Palenque . The battle resulted in the capture of Kan Joy Chitam II of Palenque and made Toniná the dominant centre in the lower Usumacinta region . The victory was so complete that it resulted in a ten @-@ year gap in the dynastic history of the defeated city , during which the captured ruler may have been held hostage . Ruler 4 continued in power to celebrate the period endings of 716 and 721 . A captive depicted on one of his monuments is identified as being from the distant city of Calakmul , one of the two Maya " superpowers " . 
 
 = = = = K 'inich Ich 'aak Chapat = = = = 
 
 Ruler 4 was succeeded by K 'inich Ich 'aak Chapat in 723 . Around 725 Toniná fought a war against Piedras Negras , a city on the north bank of the Usumacinta River , now in Guatemala . A series of events during his reign were marked on monuments between 726 and 729 and in 730 he rededicated the tomb of his predecessor K 'inich B 'aaknal Chaak . The mother of K 'inich Ich 'aak Chapat is named as Lady Winik Timan K 'awiil and his father may well have been K 'inich B 'aaknal Chaak himself . The reign of K 'inich Ich 'aak Chapat is notable for the absence of the usual sculptures depicting bound war captives , although the reason for this is unknown . 
 
 = = = = Later rulers = = = = 
 
 Little is known of the next two rulers , Ruler 6 is named as K 'inich Tuun Chapat , he celebrated the period ending of 736 and may have died 762 . A damaged text accompanying the image of a bound captive indicates renewed warfare with Palenque during his reign , however the name of the prisoner is lost and it is unclear if it is the actual king of Palenque or merely one of his vassals . He was succeeded by Ruler 7 , about whom even less is known . Around 764 Toniná defeated Palenque in battle . 
 In 775 a text recorded the death of Lord Wak Chan K 'ak ' , a prince who appears to have been the heir to the throne and who died before he could take power . 
 Ruler 8 was the last of the successful warrior kings of Toniná . He celebrated a series of events between 789 and 806 , including the defeat of Pomoy in 789 , and the capture of the ruler Ucha 'an Aj Chih , who appears to have been the vassal of B 'olon K 'awiil of Calakmul . In 799 he rededicated the tomb of Ruler 1 . Ruler 8 oversaw an extensive remodelling of the upper levels of the Acropolis . Ruler 8 erected a number of sculptures of bound prisoners of war and adopted the title aj b 'olon b 'aak , " He of Many Captives " . However , the lesser extent of Toniná 's power is evident from its victory over the site of Sak Tz 'i ' ( White Dog ) , an important city in the Lacandon region , an area which had once been dominated by Toniná . 
 By the time of Ruler 8 's successor , Uh Chapat , Toniná was clearly in decline . Only a single event , in 837 , can be dated to his reign , although a stucco mural depicting captives with garrottes at their throats may belong to his period of rule . 
 The history of Toniná continued after most other Classic Maya cities had fallen , perhaps aided by the site 's relative isolation . Ruler 10 is associated with a monument dating to 904 in the Terminal Classic and a monument dating to 909 bears the last known Long Count date although the name of the king has not survived . Ceramic fragments indicate that occupation at the site continued for another century or more . 
 
 = = = Modern history = = = 
 
 The first published account of the ruins was made by Fray Jacinto Garrido at the end of the 17th century . A number of visitors investigated the ruins of Toniná in the 19th century , the first being an expedition led by Guillaume Dupaix in 1808 . John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood visited in 1840 , and Stephens wrote an extensive description of the site . Eduard Seler and Caecilie Seler @-@ Sachs investigated the monuments at Toniná , publishing their reports at the turn of the 20th century . Karl Sapper visited the site in 1895 and 1896 . Frans Blom and Oliver La Farge investigated the site in 1920s for Tulane University , publishing their reports in 1926 — 1927 . 
 The French Toniná Project began excavations in 1972 which continued through 1975 , then resumed in 1979 to 1980 , under the direction of Pierre Becquelin and Claude Baudez . The National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico ( INAH , the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia ) began their own excavations at Toniná the following year . 
 The site is accessible for tourism and has a small museum that was inaugurated on 15 July 2000 . 
 
 = = Site description = = 
 
 The site was built on a platform covering 6 hectares ( 650 @,@ 000 sq ft ) . The principal architecture is located in the acropolis , which occupies seven south @-@ facing terraces on the northern side of the platform , rising 71 metres ( 233 ft ) over the plaza below . It has a more distinct geometry than at most Maya sites , with a right @-@ angle relationship between most structures . 
 Much of the public imagery of the site details the ruthless manner in which the city dealt with its enemies . A 16 by 4 metres ( 52 by 13 ft ) stucco sculpture rising from the fourth to fifth terraces depicts a skeletal death god carrying the severed head of a lord of Palenque in one hand . A frieze on the fifth terrace probably displayed Toniná 's most distinguished victims , dozens of fragments of this frieze were discovered in the plaza below . This frieze was carved from the local sandstone but its style is that of Palenque , suggesting that captured artists carried out the work . 
 After the abandonment of the city at the end of the Classic Period , many of the sculptures fell down the steep embankment supporting the seven terraces . 
 
 = = = Structures = = = 
 
 Ballcourt 1 ( the Sunken Ballcourt ) was dedicated in 699 by K 'inich B 'aaknal Chaak to mark three victories over K 'inich Kan Balam II of Palenque . Sculptures of the torsos of six captured vassals of the Palenque king were used as ballcourt markers . One of these vassals is named as Yax Ahk ( Green Turtle ) , who was the lord of Annay Te ' , a site that probably lay on the south side of the Usumacinta between Piedras Negras and Yaxchilán . 
 Ballcourt 2 is the smaller of the two ballcourts and lies in the north of the plaza , at the foot of the Acropolis . 
 The Palace of the Underworld is entered via three step @-@ vaulted arches on the eastern side of the second terrace of the Acropolis . 
 The Palace of Frets is located on the fourth terrace of the Acropolis . The south facade of the palace is decorated with four large stepped frets . On the east side of the palace a stairway leads to a decorated throne of stone and stucco . One of the rooms of the palace contains a stucco decoration representing feathered serpents and crossed bones . 
 
 = = = Monuments and sculptures = = = 
 
 The monuments of Toniná tend to be smaller than those at other Maya sites , with most of the stelae measuring less than 2 metres ( 6 @.@ 6 ft ) tall . The most important difference from monuments at other Maya sites is that they are carved in the round like statues , often with hieroglyphic text running down the spine . On the fifth terrace , in @-@ the @-@ round sculptures of Toniná 's rulers dominated two @-@ dimensional representations of defeated enemies . 
 The dated monuments at Toniná span the period from AD 495 to 909 , covering most of the Classic Period . 
 Monument 3 is broken into various fragments , five of which were recovered from various locations in Ocosingo and Toniná through the course of the 20th century and most of which were reunited in the Toniná site museum . Aside from being broken , the stela is largely complete and only lightly eroded , it is a statue of a ruler with inscriptions describing the accession of K 'inich Baaknal Chaak and the promotion to the priesthood of Aj Ch 'aaj Naah . 
 Monument 5 was recovered from a school in Ocosingo and moved to the site museum of Toniná . It is a badly eroded life @-@ size human statue with the head missing . 
 Monument 7 is carved from yellow sandstone and has suffered only minor damage . It is a stela base with well @-@ preserved hieroglyphs on all four vertical sides and was dedicated by K 'inich Ich 'aak Chapat in 728 . It is currently in the Museo Regional in Tuxtla Gutiérrez . 
 Monument 8 dates to the reign of Ruler 2 . It marks the period ending of 682 and shows the presentation of three war captives . 
 Monument 12 is a sculpture carved in the round , representing Ruler 2 . It dates to AD 672 . 
 Monument 27 is a carved step depicting K 'awiil Mo ' , a lord from Palenque , as an elderly prisoner , bound and lying on his back with his profile positioned in such a way as to be trodden on time and again . 
 Monument 99 is an undated fragment that depicts a female captive , which is rare in Maya art . 
 Monument 101 has the last Long Count date from any Maya monument , it marks the K 'atun ending of AD 909 . 
 Monument 106 is the earliest securely dated monument at the site , dating to AD 593 . It depicts Ruler 1 . 
 Monument 113 depicts Ruler 2 participating in a scattering ritual . 
 Monument 114 was dedicated in 794 by Ruler 8 . It commemorates the death of an important noble , apparently a relative or vassal of Ruler 8 's predecessor Tuun Chapat . 
 Monument 122 is a low relief sculpture marking the defeat of Palenque by Ruler 4 in 711 and the capture of Kan Joy Chitam II , who is depicted as a bound captive . 
 Monument 141 is a very well preserved hieroglyphic panel carved from fine grained white limestone with almost the whole inscription intact . It describes the dedication of a ballcourt by K 'inich B 'aaknal Chaak . 
 Monument 154 dates to the reign of K 'inich Hix Chapat and records his installing of two subordinate lords in 633 . 
 Monument 158 has a very late date , in AD 904 , at the very end of the Classic Period . It was erected during the reign of Ruler 10 . 
 The Frieze of the Dream Lords ( also known as the Frieze of the Four Suns or Frieze of the Four Eras ) was uncovered by archaeologists during excavations in 1992 . It is a stucco mural located at the east end of the 5th terrace . It represents a complex supernatural scene divided into four by a feather @-@ covered scaffold from which hang the severed heads of sacrificial victims . Among the scaffold partitions are depicted the wayob ( spirit companions ) of the Maya elite . The most well @-@ preserved section of the sculpture depicts a skeletal supernatural way named Ak Ok Kimi ( " Turtle Foot Death " ) wearing turtleshells on its feet and carrying a severed head in one hand , interpreted as the way of a lord from the site of Pipa ' . The frieze was once brightly painted in red , blue and yellow . This frieze has strong stylistic parallels with mural paintings at the great Early Classic metropolis of Teotihuacan in the distant Valley of Mexico . 
 
 = = = The site museum = = = 
 
 The site museum is located 300 metres ( 980 ft ) outside of the Toniná archaeological zone . It possesses 2 exhibition rooms and a conference room . The first room explains the pyramidal form of the acropolis and how it relates to Maya mythology , while the main room contains sculptures of the city 's rulers . 
 Artefacts in the collection include stone sculptures , ceramics and artefacts sculpted from bone , shell , obsidian and flint . The pieces in the museum graphically depict the two sides of the power exercised by Toniná , on the one hand with sculptures of the city 's rulers and on the other with its depictions of bound prisoners of war . 
 
 