The hieroglyphics on the loin cloths of these prisoners records details of their identity and capture. Ritual warfare and the capture of neighboring kings or nobles for sacrifice was part of the obligation of kingship.
"This courtyard contains representations of noble prisoners taken by the kings of Palenque. In a similar way, the drawing from Tonina Monument 122 shows a reclining figure identified by three glyphs incised on his right thigh. These read, "Kan Xul II of Palenque," who was the son of Pacal the Great and younger brother of Chan-Bahlum. The date carved along the right hand edge of the stone records the date of his capture by Tonina Ruler 3 in A.D. 711.
Linda Schele has proposed that the carving style of Monument 122, in the tradition of Palenque rather than that of Tonina, may be evidence of the tribute paid to the victorious polity by Palenque-a master stone sculptor dispatched to Tonina to carve the monument commemorating the defeat of his former king. A more recent discovery at Tonina settles the issue of Kan Xul's fate-a sculptural panel depicts the Palenque ruler's severed head."
Robert J. Sharer, The Ancient Maya, p. 295.
Drawing by Linda Schele, ©David Schele, courtesy Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc., http://www.famsi.org