The Paw Stone: The Place Name of Piedras Negras, Guatemala The inscriptions of Piedras Negras, Guatemala and nearby El Cayo make occasional reference to a place name or toponym that has remained unidenti- fied since its initial recognition over a decade ago (Stuart and Houston 1994:33). The glyph (Figure 1) assumes a regular appearance in the inscriptions and is composed of two basic units: a feline paw sign, as yet undeciphered, above TUUN-(ni), tuun, "stone". The latter is a common term in Mayan place names today as well as in ancient times (for example, Lakamtuun). In this study I will offer a few observa- tions about the "Paw Stone" glyph and its textual appearances, and then refer to a significant clue to its nature as a place glyph associated with the ceremo- nial center of Piedras Negras. First a few words on the reading of the initial paw-like sign. This bears a close resemblance to the logogram ICH'AAK, "claw" (Stuart 1987), but its orientation and internal markings suggest it is a different sign. The ICH'AAK element appropriately emphasizes the animal's claws, whereas the upper sign of the toponym seems "de-clawed" by compari- son, showing more the darkened pads underneath. The same inward-facing paw sign probably occurs at Tonina in a royal name read K'inich Ich'aak Chapat (Martin and Grube 2000:186), although we might entertain another decipherment if indeed this is a dif- ferent paw. Perhaps these paws are simply stylistic variations of one another, but for the moment I will refer to the glyph and the place name simply as "Paw Stone", with the understanding that this is no literal translation. I know of six examples of the Paw Stone glyph. Four appear on Throne 1 of Piedras Negras, and another from Panel 1 of El Cayo. (During a visit to Piedras Negras in April, 1998, I saw another possible example on Stela 18, though in a very weathered text.) Throne 1 dates to the reign of Ruler 7, the last documented king of Piedras Negras, and its text sheds some light on the years leading up to his acces- sion. In this interesting time, Ruler 6 (Ha' K'in Xook) is said to "lose the rulership" on 9.17.9.5.11, over a year before the inauguration of his successor. Throughout these complex passages we see the Paw Stone glyph prefixed by the revealing combination of TAHN- CH'EEN- ("in front of the cave/spring…"), which regularly appears with toponyms in the inscrip- tions of several other sites (Stuart and Houston 1994) (Figure 2). At Tikal, for example, the standard emblem glyph main sign (MUTUL?) appears as part of the very same expression, where it occupies the same position as the "Paw Stone" (Figure 2c). Dos Pilas Stela 8 displays its own local toponym (?-HA') in a parallel example (Figure 2d), and at Palenque's Temple XIX we find tahn ch'een Lakamha' ("in front of the Lakamha' spring") probably in reference to the Otolum River (Stuart 2000) (Figure 2e). Stela 3 from Caracol mentions the local place name Uxwitza' ("Three Hill Water") in much the same way (Figure 2004 The Paw Stone: The Place Name of Piedras Negras, Guatemala. Originally published in The PARI Journal 4(3):1-6. Electronic version. Figure 1. The Paw Stone glyph. DAVID STUART Peabody Museum, Harvard University PARI Online Publications