Teʼ. Kʼinich Yoʼnal Ahk I died on February 3, 639 AD (9.10.6.2.1 5 Imix 19 Kʼayab), was likely buried at Pyramid R-5, and was succeeded by his son, Itzam Kʼan Ahk I, who later dedicated or re-opened his father's tomb in 658 AD. Monuments Stelae Kʼinich Yoʼnal Ahk I erected numerous stelae, many of which became veritable models for those constructed by other rulers of Piedras Negras. Kʼinich Yoʼnal Ahk I's first was Stela 25, which cemented the use of the "niche" style; these monuments feature the ajaw in a small hollow, seated on an intricately decorated elevated platform, thereby symbolically suggesting that the leader has been lifted into the air. On Stela 25, Kʼinich Yoʼnal Ahk I is seated on a "jaguar cushion", connected to the ground by a ladder stained with bloody footprints (representing human sacrifice). Above the king is the sky, iconized as a great canopy, and above this is a "great celestial bird, the avian aspect of the [Maya] god dubbed Itzamna". Stela 26, dating from 628 AD, depicts the aforementioned war with Palenque. This monument marks the first time that a stela at Piedra Negras featured carvings on multiple sides (which, in this case, were dedication texts). Stela 26 is aligned with Itzam Kʼan Ahk II's Stela 35, conveying "an image of continuity, repetition, and renewal over time and across generations." Stela 31, which dates from around 637 AD and depicts the war with Sak Tzʼiʼ, was raised in front of Structures R-3 and R-4the location of many of Piedras Negras's earliest monuments. This stela was also extremely tall, at about meters in height, and featured an "expansion" platform that allowed for easier observation. Both Stelae 26 and 31 feature another theme popular with Kʼinich Yoʼnal Ahk I: the "warrior king" motif. This design often depicts the king facing forward, wearing a large headdress featuring iconography of the "Teotihuacan War Serpent". R-5 Pyramid Kʼinich Yoʼnal Ahk I was likely buried in the R-5 Pyramid, based mostly on evidence from Panel 4, crafted by Itzam Kʼan Ahk I. This carving explicitly labels the pyramid as the muk (i.e. burial) of Kʼinich Yoʼnal Ahk I, and records how Itzam Kʼan Ahk I either dedicated or ceremonially re-opened the structure. Despite this testimony, no body has ever been found in the pyramid, although the search was complicated by—and eventually abandoned because of—loose detritus left behind by looters. Most