Yax Nuun Ayiin I was a ruler of the Maya civilization

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...

 polity of 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...

 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...

, during the Early Classic period of Mesoamerican chronology

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...

 in the late 4th century.

He was sometimes referred to by the nicknames King Curl-Nose or Curl-Snout before the hieroglyphs for his name were deciphered phonetically.

Biography

He took the throne of Tikal on 13 September 379, soon after the death of previous king Chak Tok Ich'aak I, apparently killed by the Teotihuacano conquerors.

Yax Nuun Ayiin was a son of Spearthrower Owl

Spearthrower Owl

"Spearthrower Owl" is the name commonly given to a Mesoamerican personage from the Early Classic period, who is identified in Maya inscriptions and iconography...

, a lord of Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan – also written Teotihuacán, with a Spanish orthographic accent on the last syllable – is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, just 30 miles northeast of Mexico City, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas...

 (probably that city's king) in central Mexico. The installation of a Teotihuacano noble on the throne of Tikal marks a high point of Teotihuacan influence in the central Maya lowlands.

Yax Nuun Ayiin may have been a child or youth at the time of his coronation, and the early years of his reign seems to have been dominated by one of his father's generals, Siyaj K'ak', in a sort of regency.

His tomb, known as "Burial 10", was discovered by University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

 archaeologists

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...

.

He was succeeded by his son Siyaj Chan K'awiil II

Siyaj Chan K'awiil II

Siyaj Chan K'awiil II was a Mayan ruler of the city of Tikal.He was a son of his predecessor Yax Nuun Ayiin I and grandson of Spearthrower Owl.He came to power probably in 425....

probably in 425.