Stela 4, Yax Nuun Ayiin or Curl Snout, 200-400 AD, Tikal, Guatemala

Tikal Stela 4 portrays the tenth ruler in the Tikal succession, Curl Nose, who is named after his presumed name glyph. The style of Stela 4, and the regalia worn by the sculptured portrait of Curl Nose, especially his shell necklace, recall Teotihuacan traditions and depícts Curl Nose seated and facing front. The protector figure over Curl Nose's head is the Maya deity Bolon Tza'cab (God K), the patron of royalty. Curl Nose holds a spearthrower in his left arm. The God K patron was eventually combined wíth the central-Mexican weapon, the spearthrower, to form the "manikin scepter," the symbol of lowland Maya dynastic rulership.

The Maya. Michael D. Coe. New York: Thames and Hudson. 2005.