Jasaw Chan K'awiil I

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Jasaw Chan K'awiil I
Ajaw of Tikal

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Stela 16, erected in 711 representing Jasaw Chan K'awiil I.
Reign May 3, 682-734
Predecessor Nuun Ujol Chaak
Successor Yik'in Chan K'awiil
Born before 682
Died 734
BurialTemple 1 (Burial 116)
Spouse Lady Lahan Unen Mo'
Issue Yik'in Chan K'awiil
Father Nuun Ujol Chaak
Mother Lady Jaguar Seat
Religion Maya religion

Jasaw Chan K'awiil I [N 1] also known as Ruler A, Ah Cacao and Sky Rain, (before 682-734), was an ajaw of the Maya city of Tikal. He took the throne on May 3, 682 and reigned until his death. [N 2] [1]

Ajaw

Ajaw or Ahau ('Lord') is a pre-Columbian Maya political title attested from epigraphic inscriptions. It is also the name of the 20th day of the tzolkʼin, the Maya divinatory calendar, on which a king's kʼatun-ending rituals would fall.

Maya civilization Mesoamerican civilization

The Maya civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization developed by the Maya peoples, and noted for its logosyllabic script—the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in pre-Columbian Americas—as well as for its art, architecture, mathematics, calendar, and astronomical system. The Maya civilization developed in an area that encompasses southeastern Mexico, all of Guatemala and Belize, and the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador. This region consists of the northern lowlands encompassing the Yucatán Peninsula, and the highlands of the Sierra Madre, running from the Mexican state of Chiapas, across southern Guatemala and onwards into El Salvador, and the southern lowlands of the Pacific littoral plain.

Tikal Ruins of major ancient Maya city

Tikal is the ruin of an ancient city, which was likely to have been called Yax Mutal, found in a rainforest in Guatemala. It is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now northern Guatemala. Situated in the department of El Petén, the site is part of Guatemala's Tikal National Park and in 1979 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Contents

Biography

Jasaw Chan K'awiil I's glyph Jasaw Chan K'awiil I.svg
Jasaw Chan K'awiil I's glyph

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 A, Jasaw Chan K'awiil or by the nickname Ah Cacao. [1]

Maya script writing system of the Maya civilization

Maya script, also known as Maya glyphs, was the writing system of the Maya civilization of Mesoamerica and is the only Mesoamerican writing system that has been substantially deciphered. The earliest inscriptions found which are identifiably Maya date to the 3rd century BCE in San Bartolo, Guatemala. Maya writing was in continuous use throughout Mesoamerica until the Spanish conquest of the Maya in the 16th and 17th centuries.

One of the most celebrated of Tikal's rulers, Jasaw Chan K'awiil's reign came at the end of a 130-year-long hiatus in Tikal's historical record, and his defeat of the rival Maya city of Calakmul in 695 is seen to represent a resurgence in the strength and influence of Tikal. [2]

Calakmul archaeological site

Calakmul is a Maya archaeological site in the Mexican state of Campeche, deep in the jungles of the greater Petén Basin region. It is 35 kilometres (22 mi) from the Guatemalan border. Calakmul was one of the largest and most powerful ancient cities ever uncovered in the Maya lowlands.

Two structures at Tikal in particular are associated with Jasaw Chan K’awiil. Tikal Temple I is a classically Petén-styled stepped pyramid structure which served as this ruler's tomb, although it is unclear whether it was built for this specific purpose. Tikal Temple II served as the tomb for his wife, Lady Lahan Unen Mo' (died c.704). [3] His successor was his son Yik'in Chan K'awiil. [1]

Tikal Temple I

Tikal Temple I is the designation given to one of the major structures at Tikal, one of the largest cities and archaeological sites of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in Mesoamerica. It is located in the Petén Basin region of northern Guatemala. It also is known as the Temple of the Great Jaguar because of a lintel that represents a king sitting upon a jaguar throne. An alternative name is the Temple of Ah Cacao, after the ruler buried in the temple. Temple I is a typically Petén-styled limestone stepped pyramid structure that is dated to approximately 732 AD.

Tikal Temple II temple in Tikal

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. Temple II is located on the west side of the Great Plaza, opposite Temple I. Temple II was built by the king Jasaw Chan K'awiil I in honour of his wife, Lady Kalajuun Une' Mo'. Temple II had a single wooden sculpted lintel that bears the portrait of a royal woman who may have been the wife of Jasaw Chan K'awiil I, who was entombed beneath Temple I. Lady Kalajuun Une' Mo', whose name means "Twelve Macaw Tails", was also important for being the mother of Jasaw Chan K'awill I's heir. In fact her son Yik'in Chan K'awiil oversaw the completion of Temple II when he became king.

Notes

  1. The ruler's name, when transcribed is ja-sa-wa CHAN-na-K'AWI:L-la, translated "K'awiil that Clears? the Sky", Martin & Grube 2008, p.44.
  2. These are the dates indicated on the Maya inscriptions in Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, Accession: 9.12.9.17.16 5 Kib 14 Sotz', Martin & Grube 2008, p.44.

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 Martin & Grube 2008, p.44.
  2. Martin & Grube 2008, pp.44-45.
  3. Martin & Grube 2008, pp.46-47.

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Chan Imix Kʼawiil was the twelfth ruler of the Maya city state Copán. His nickname was Smoke Jaguar.

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Sihyaj Chan Kʼawiil I Ruler of Tikal

Sihyaj Chan Kʼawiil I, was ajaw ("lord") of the Maya city-state of Tikal. He was son of his predecessor Animal Headdress and Lady Skull. The monument associated with Sihyaj Chan Kʼawiil I is El Encanto Stela I.

Wak Chan Kʼawiil

Wak Chan Kʼawiil, also known as Double Bird, was an ajaw of the Maya city of Tikal. He took the throne on December 27, 537(?) and reigning probably until his death. He was son of Chak Tok Ichʼaak II and Lady Hand. He sponsored accession of Yajaw Teʼ Kʼinich II, ruler of Caracol in 553. The monument associated with Wak Chan Kʼawiil is Stelae 17.

References

Martin, Simon; Nikolai Grube (2008). Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya (2nd ed.). London and New York: Thames & Hudson. ISBN   9780500287262. OCLC   191753193. 
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Nuun Ujol Chaak
Ajaw of Tikal
May 3, 682-734
Succeeded by
Yik'in Chan K'awiil