Politics in the Western Maya Region (I): Ajawil/Ajawlel and Ch'e'n

in a series of articles i reflect on the use of various expressions which are connected to what we call the political in the inscriptions of the classic maya western region. these words express concepts which help to understand the intricate details of the interactions between the political entities and their internal organisations in the classic maya lowlands. words such as 7ajawil, 7ajawlel, the kennings built on the base of ch'e7n (cave, pond), the emblem glyphs and titles will be examined in light of what they tell us about the functioning of the political organisation of the classic period in a constrained region.