Yajawil of Oxmal
Yajawil of Oxmal Oxmal Yajawil | |
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 Coat of arms
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| Motto: To reach the stars | |
| Anthem: Song of the Morning Shore | |
| Capital and | Oxmal |
| Official languages | Mutli Ot'aan |
| Ethnic groups (2016) | Xumanec K'iche Ytze |
| Demonym(s) | Oxmaleses |
| Government | Absolute monarchy |
• K'aknal Yajaw | Muwal Te Xiu |
| Legislature | Malom Holnal |
| Sajal Holpop | |
| Mam Ch'ob | |
| Province of the Mutul | |
| Population | |
• 2018 estimate | 5,250,000 |
• 2012 census | 5,110,774 |
the Yajawil of Oxmal, named after its capital of the same name, is a first level administration of the Mutul. It is bordered to the north by Kaniktun, to the east by Kupul, to the south by TBD, and share a maritime border with Kalk'in to the west.
Local legends say that the Yajawil was originally a kingdom founded by the Dwarf King Asuitok somewhere during the early second century AD. Asuitok is credited as the one who brought water to the otherwise desolate savanah and built the main pyramid temple of Oxmal, the Ch'at k'uhnah, in one night. To this day, Asuitok is still worship as the protector divinity of the Yajawil and the Divine Ancestor of the Xiu.
Since the days of Asuitok, the House of Xiu has remained in charge of the city and its dependency, even after it transitioned from an independent kingdom to a vassal state of the Ka Ytze and then a Kuchkabal under the Kawkom Family. It was only granted the status of Yajawil in 885 after the Xiu Revolt where their Patriarch overthrew and massacred the Kawkoms. The Xiu would lose their title of K'aknal Yajaw only once, and only to their cadet house of the Xiu-Tutul, after the Sajal War during which they sided with the Noble Republic against the Divine Throne. They were granted the title once more a generation later, and the Xiu Patriarchs have resumed being enthroned Yajaw of Oxmal by default since then.
Geography and environment
The Province is a relatively flat area of the Mutul with around 230 km of shoreline. Most of the surface is of sedimentary rock, much of which is of marine origin. The areas with the highest elevation are on the border with Kupul as the two Yajawils are separated by the Pok hills.
Along the coastline, Rainforest areas are accompanied by areas with sand dunes, mangrove wetlands and estuaries. Deeper inland, savanna are more common. The region has large expanses of mangroves which dominate the swamps. Wildlife is dominated by bird and reptile species such as storks, pelicans, ducks, seagulls, lizards, turtles and water snakes.
Government
Oxmal is ruled by the K'aknal Yajaw, nominated by the K’uhul Ajaw and confirmed in his functions by the Malom Holnal, the Legislature of the Yajawil. Executive and judicial powers over the Yajawil reside in him, but it’s the three states of the Holnal that are competent over matters like the development and growth of the province and divide the allocated budget.
The position of K'aknal Yajaw have been held by the House of Xiu since the creation of the Kingdom of Oxmal. They hold a great influence over the executive, the judiciary, and the religious institutions of the Yajawil. They are also influential in and out of the Province through their financial holdings, keeping ownership of many strategic ressources such as the Yajawil's medias and the port of Waymil where most of the Province's import and export transit.
The current Yajaw, Muwal Te Xiu, is publicly aligned with the Rezeists and so is his Holnal.