Yik'in Chan K'awiil
Encyclopedia
Yik'in Chan K'awiil was a Mayan
ruler (ajaw
) in the Late Classic period
of the city-state
polity
centred at Tikal
, a major pre-Columbian
Maya
site in the Petén Basin
region (modern-day Guatemala
).
epigraphers as the 27th ruler in Tikal's dynastic succession, Yik'in Chan K'awiil was one of Tikal's most successful and expansionary rulers, consolidating the political gains won by his father, Jasaw Chan K'awiil I. During his reign prolific building works were undertaken at Tikal, with a number of the site's significant still-standing structures commissioned or extended under his direction. Before advances in the decipherment of the Maya script
revealed this reading of his name, this ruler was also known to researchers as Tikal Ruler B.
Yik'in K'awiil conquered Calakmul
in 736 and two other Calakmul allies in 743 and 744. El Peru to the east and Naranjo to the west destroying the noose of power that had previously dominated the area.
His wife was Shana'Kin Yaxchel Pacal
(Green Jay on the Wall) of Lakamha. It is unknown exactly where his tomb lies, but strong archaeological
parallels between Burial 116 (the resting place of his father) and Burial 196, located in the diminutive pyramid
immediately south of Temple II
and referred to as Str. 5D-73, suggest the latter may be the tomb of Yik’in Chan Kawiil. Other possible locations, and likely candidates as mortuary shrines, include Temples IV
and VI.
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
ruler (ajaw
Ajaw
Ajaw is a political rulership title attested from the epigraphic inscriptions of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, with a meaning variously interpreted as "lord", "ruler", "king" or "leader". It denoted any of the leading class of nobles in a particular polity and was not limited to a single...
) in the Late Classic period
Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian , the Archaic , the Preclassic , the Classic , and the Postclassic...
of the city-state
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
polity
Polity
Polity is a form of government Aristotle developed in his search for a government that could be most easily incorporated and used by the largest amount of people groups, or states...
centred at Tikal
Tikal
Tikal is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centres of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now northern Guatemala...
, a major pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
Maya
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
site in the Petén Basin
Petén Basin
The Petén Basin is a geographical subregion of Mesoamerica, located in the northern portion of the modern-day nation of Guatemala, and essentially contained within the department of El Petén...
region (modern-day Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
).
Biography
Identified by MayanistMayanist
A Mayanist is a scholar specialising in research and study of the Central American pre-Columbian Maya civilization. This discipline should not be confused with Mayanism, a collection of New Age beliefs about the ancient Maya....
epigraphers as the 27th ruler in Tikal's dynastic succession, Yik'in Chan K'awiil was one of Tikal's most successful and expansionary rulers, consolidating the political gains won by his father, Jasaw Chan K'awiil I. During his reign prolific building works were undertaken at Tikal, with a number of the site's significant still-standing structures commissioned or extended under his direction. Before advances in the decipherment of the Maya script
Maya script
The Maya script, also known as Maya glyphs or Maya hieroglyphs, is the writing system of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica, presently the only Mesoamerican writing system that has been substantially deciphered...
revealed this reading of his name, this ruler was also known to researchers as Tikal Ruler B.
Yik'in K'awiil conquered Calakmul
Calakmul
Calakmul is a Maya archaeological site in the Mexican state of Campeche, deep in the jungles of the greater Petén Basin region. It is from the Guatemalan border. Calakmul was one of the largest and most powerful ancient cities ever uncovered in the Maya lowlands...
in 736 and two other Calakmul allies in 743 and 744. El Peru to the east and Naranjo to the west destroying the noose of power that had previously dominated the area.
His wife was Shana'Kin Yaxchel Pacal
Shana'Kin Yaxchel Pacal
Shana'Kin Yaxchel Pacal was a Mayan Queen of Tikal as a wife of the King Yik'in Chan K'awiil....
(Green Jay on the Wall) of Lakamha. It is unknown exactly where his tomb lies, but strong archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
parallels between Burial 116 (the resting place of his father) and Burial 196, located in the diminutive pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
immediately south of Temple II
Tikal Temple II
Tikal Temple II is a Mesoamerican pyramid at the Maya archaeological site of Tikal in the Petén Department of northern Guatemala. The temple was built in the Late Classic Period in a style reminiscent of the Early Classic...
and referred to as Str. 5D-73, suggest the latter may be the tomb of Yik’in Chan Kawiil. Other possible locations, and likely candidates as mortuary shrines, include Temples IV
Tikal Temple IV
Tikal Temple IV is a Mesoamerican pyramid in the ruins of the ancient Maya city of Tikal in modern Guatemala. It was one of the tallest and most voluminous buildings in the Maya world. The pyramid was built around 741 AD. Temple IV is located at the western edge of the site core...
and VI.