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There was
a time when archaeologists believed the portraits in the stelae of Tikal
to be astronomers and priests, of a totally impersonal nature and that
the glyphs contained in the stelae were only information on sacred dates.
Later on, the notion that these had been actual rulers of Tikal became
more obvious and archaeologists started elaborating on the subject and
piecing the puzzle together. The following sequence is product of different
scientists’ work, professionals who have dedicated many years to the
study of glyphs and logographic and phonetic symbols found in Maya writing.
When the
actual sound of a grapheme was not known, the logographs were interpreted
as its name in English by archaeologists. Say, if a glyph depicted a
boar’s head, the ruler would then be named Boar… such as Kan Boar,
then named Kan Chita’am and now known as K’an Ak. Hence names such as
Decorated Jaguar, Jaguar Scroll and so on were given to the Rulers of
Tikal by archaeologists. But as epigraphers advance in their quest to
decipher Maya glyphs the names given to the Rulers change with time:
during the first years of excavation at Tikal, for instance, a name
was given to one of the Lords of Tikal: Ruler A, later as some of the
glyphs related to him became known he was called Ah Cacaw. Today that
Ruler’s exact name is thought to have been Jasaw Chan K’awiil I.
Following
you will find an approximation to Tikal’s Dynastic lineage, founded
by Yax Moch Xoc, whose name is now deciphered and thought to have been
Yax Ehb’ Xook. We don’t know who preceded him and on what dates they
reigned in Tikal. The first date given for a Ruler of Tikal is on 292
AD and the last is on 869 AD. This is by no means a complete account
of all that is known about Tikal’s Dynastic Rulers. Professional guides
should be able to tell you about them and bring the story of Tikal to
life for you…
Name of Ruler |
Access to Throne |
Date of reign |
Monuments/ Importance |
Yax Ehb' Xook |
60? |
|
Founder of the Tikal Lineage |
Balam Ajaw or Decorated Jaguar |
|
292 A.D. |
Stelae 29 & 31 |
| K'inich Ehb' or Animal Headdress |
|
|
Stela 1 from El Encanto |
Siyaj Chan K'awiil I |
|
307 A.D. |
Stela 1 from El Encanto |
Ix Une' B'alam
Lady Une' B'alam |
|
317 A.D. |
Stela 31 (twice) & small sherd *fragment of a vase* found in Tikal
says "The lady… was born…" |
K'inich Muwaan Jol |
|
?-359 A.D. |
Stela 39, appears on Dynastic vase, Stela
28, Stela from Corozal, & on sculpture named Man of Tikal |
Chak Tok Ich'aak I
Great Jaguar Paw I |
360 A.D. approximately |
360- 378 A.D. |
Stelae 26, 31, 39 & Stela from Corozal, &
on sculpture named Man of Tikal |
Yax Nuun Ayiin I
Curl Snout |
379 A.D. |
Until his death in 404 A.D.? |
Stelae 4, 18 and 31 on sculpture named Man
of Tikal |
Siyaj Chan K'awiil II
Stormy Sky |
411 A.D. |
Until his death on 456 A.D., but he is burried
2 years later on Temple 33 |
Stela 1, 28, 31 and 40 |
K'an Ak
Kan Boar (Pecary) |
458 A.D. |
Until his death on 486 A.D. ? |
Stelae 2, 9, 13 and 40 |
Chak Tok Ich' aak II
Jaguar Paw II |
486 A.D. |
Until his death on 508 A.D. ? |
Stela 3, 7, 15 & 27 |
Ix Yo K'in or
Lady of Tikal |
511 A.D. |
Until her death on 527 A.D. |
Stela 6, 12 and 23 |
Kaloomte' B'alam |
511 A.D. ? |
527 A.D. |
Stela 10, 12 and 25 |
?
Bird Claw? |
|
|
Stela 8 |
Wak Chan K'awil or Double Bird |
December 29th, 537 A.D. |
Until his death on 562 A.D. |
Stela 17 and on Altar 21 of Caracol, dying |
K'inich Waaw
Animal Skull |
593 A.D. |
628 A.D. |
His portrait appears on a polychrome vase
from Tikal, also on MT 216 and 217 |
K'inich Wayaan |
|
|
Ceramics obtained without context, found in
several collections in Europe, at the Tikal Museum and at the
Popol Vuh Museum in Guatemala City |
K'inich Muwaan Jol II |
|
|
Ceramics obtained without context, found in
several collections in Europe, at the Tikal Museum and at the
Popol Vuh Museum in Guatemala City |
Nuun Ujol Chak or Shield Skull |
657 A.D. |
Died in 679 A.D. |
Married Lady Throne Jaguar/ Named in Lintel
3 of Temple I |
Jasaw Chan K'awiil I or Ruler A |
682 A.D. |
Died 734 A.D. and was burried in a spectacular
ceremony beneath Temple I |
Married Lady 12 Macaw/ Monuments: Stela 30
& 16/ Lintels 2 and 3 of Temple I |
Yik'in Chan K'awiil or Ruler B |
734 A.D. |
On 746 A.D. he was still in power |
Monuments: Stela 5, 20 and 21 of Temple IV
|
? |
766 A.D. |
768 A.D. |
Monuments: Temple VI |
Yax Nuun Ayiin II or Ruler C |
768 A.D. |
790 A.D. |
Stelae 19 and 22, Altars 6 & 10 |
Nuun Ujol K'inich |
800 A.D.? |
810 A.D.? |
Mentioned on Lintel of Temple III |
Dark Sun |
810 A.D.? |
? |
Depicted on Stela 24 of Temple III & Lintel
of Temple III |
Jewel K'awil |
849 A.D. |
|
Mentioned on Stela 10 from Ceibal |
Jasaw Chan K'awiil II |
869 A.D. |
889 A.D. |
Depicted on Stela 11 of Tikal and Stela 12
of Uaxactun twenty years later |
This work
was compiled by several Maya Archaeologists since the 1960s. It has
been the object of various revisions and profound academic discussions
since then. All
of the archaeological content on www.tikalpark.com was updated and revised by Juan Antonio Valdes, PhD on February 2001. He and Architect Federico Fahsen revised it again on June 2003.
We sincerely thank both for revising www.tikalpark.com
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