B'alaj Chan K'awiil
Encyclopedia
B'alaj Chan K'awiil was a Maya
ruler of Dos Pilas
. He is also known as Ruler 1, Flint Sky God K and Malah Chan K'awil.
royal line
. On Dos Pilas Panel 6 he names a king of Tikal as his father, this was probably the 23rd or 24th ruler of Tikal. He probably saw himself as the legitimate heir to the Tikal throne and defected from Tikal in AD 648 to found Dos Pilas as a rival kingdom under the overlordship of Calukmul.
B'alaj Chan K'awiil began his program of monumental inscriptions in 682, recording his travails and ultimate victory.
Mystery cloaks the circumstances under which B'alaj Chan K'awiil became the first known ruler of a previously uninhabited site in the Petexbatún
. Inscriptions at Dos Pilas make it clear that he eventually swore allegiance to Calakmul, and this during the time of Tikal's Hiatus when Calakmul might well have involved itself directly in the royal succession at Tikal. This led to speculation that B'alaj Chan K'awiil might have been a ruler of Tikal under the aegis of Calakmul who was driven out by a rival lineage.
and Lady Bulu'
.
A daughter of B'alaj Chan K'awiil, Wak Chanil Ajaw, left Dos Pilas to found a dynasty at Naranjo. Another daughter (or perhaps a sister) married into the royal lineage of Arroyo de Piedra.
B'alaj Chan K'awiil was a father of Itzamnaaj B'alam
and Itzamnaaj K'awiil
and likely a grandfather of K'ak' Tiliw Chan Chaak.
Maya peoples
The Maya people constitute a diverse range of the Native American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The overarching term "Maya" is a collective designation to include the peoples of the region who share some degree of cultural and linguistic heritage; however, the term...
ruler of Dos Pilas
Dos Pilas
Dos Pilas is a Pre-Columbian site of the Maya civilization located in what is now the department of Petén, Guatemala. It dates to the Late Classic Period, being founded by an offshoot of the dynasty of the great city of Tikal in AD 629 in order to control trade routes in the Petexbatún region,...
. He is also known as Ruler 1, Flint Sky God K and Malah Chan K'awil.
Biography
He was born on October 15, 625. He claimed to be a member of the TikalTikal
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...
royal line
Rulers of Tikal
The known rulers of Tikal, a major centre of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization in modern day Guatemala:-Late Preclassic:* Yax Ehb' Xook – c. AD 60, dynastic founder* Siyaj Chan K'awil Chak Ich'aak – c. 2nd century* Yax Ch’aktel Xok – c. 200...
. On Dos Pilas Panel 6 he names a king of Tikal as his father, this was probably the 23rd or 24th ruler of Tikal. He probably saw himself as the legitimate heir to the Tikal throne and defected from Tikal in AD 648 to found Dos Pilas as a rival kingdom under the overlordship of Calukmul.
B'alaj Chan K'awiil began his program of monumental inscriptions in 682, recording his travails and ultimate victory.
Mystery cloaks the circumstances under which B'alaj Chan K'awiil became the first known ruler of a previously uninhabited site in the Petexbatún
Petexbatún
Petexbatún is a small lake formed by a river of the same name, which is a tributary of the La Pasion river. It is near Sayaxché, located in the southern area of the Guatemalan department of Petén....
. Inscriptions at Dos Pilas make it clear that he eventually swore allegiance to Calakmul, and this during the time of Tikal's Hiatus when Calakmul might well have involved itself directly in the royal succession at Tikal. This led to speculation that B'alaj Chan K'awiil might have been a ruler of Tikal under the aegis of Calakmul who was driven out by a rival lineage.
Family
B'alaj Chan K'awiil had two wives - Lady of ItzanLady of Itzan
-Biography:She was born in Itzan. She married B'alaj Chan K'awiil, the king of Dos Pilas. She was a mother of the kings Itzamnaaj B'alam and Itzamnaaj K'awiil.It is possible that her daughter was Wak Chanil Ajaw. It is also possible that she had one more daughter....
and Lady Bulu'
Lady Bulu'
Lady Bulu was a Queen of Dos Pilas. She was the wife of B'alaj Chan K'awiil, the king of Dos Pilas. She was a stepmother of kings Itzamnaaj B'alam and Itzamnaaj K'awiil....
.
A daughter of B'alaj Chan K'awiil, Wak Chanil Ajaw, left Dos Pilas to found a dynasty at Naranjo. Another daughter (or perhaps a sister) married into the royal lineage of Arroyo de Piedra.
B'alaj Chan K'awiil was a father of Itzamnaaj B'alam
Itzamnaaj B'alam
-Family:He was the son and successor of B'alaj Chan K'awiil, and brother and predecessor of Itzamnaaj K'awiil. He was also a brother of Wak Chanil Ajaw and uncle of K'ak' Tiliw Chan Chaak.His mother was the Lady of Itzan....
and Itzamnaaj K'awiil
Itzamnaaj K'awiil
Itzamnaaj K'awiil was a Mayan king of Dos Pilas. He was the third known ruler of that place. He is also known as the Ruler 2 and Shield God K.-Biography:...
and likely a grandfather of K'ak' Tiliw Chan Chaak.