Jupiter in classic and postclassic Maya art

Jupiter, the powerhouse of planets in Old World Astronomy, has yet to be identified in Maya iconography. Study of the patterning of dates on monuments at several Maya sites suggests a link between the planet Jupiter and one of the principal gods of Maya rulers, known as GII in the Palenque inscriptions. GII is probably named Tahil or K'awil in the Classic Maya period, and he seems to be the counterpart of God K in the Postclassic period. As the youngest brother of the Palenque triad, GII is a natural counterpart for the youngest of a triad of mythological brothers known from modern Mopan Maya folklore. In this legend, the older brothers are Venus and the Sun, the same roles the elder brothers rake at Palenque. The youngest brother in the Mopan legend is Mars or Jupiter. Monuments with GII often bear dates that correlate with Jupiter's retrograde at Palenque. The Sarcophagus Lid at Palenque depicts the deceased king Pacal in the guise of God K. This transformation or apotheosis took place in A.D. 683 on a date coinciding with the first stationary point of Jupiter. There is a high correlation between monuments representing this god at Yaxchilan and dates coinciding with Jupiter's period of retrograde motion during the Classic period. In the Postclassic period, a similar association occurs in the Dresden Codex Venus pages, where God K is associated with a date marking the rise of the Morning Star at a time that Jupiter was in retrograde motion.