List of the rulers of Caracol explained
| Royal Title: | Ajaw |
| Realm: | Caracol |
| Coatofarms: | PcbbF401.svg |
| Coatofarmscaption: | Emblem glyph of Caracol |
| Last Monarch: | Ruler XIII |
| Formation: | AD 331 |
| Abolition: | ca 859 |
| Residence: | Caracol |
This is a list of rulers of Caracol, a city-state of the Maya Lowlands during the Classic period. The exact number of rulers of Caracol is not known. As of 2008, fourteen of the city-state's lords have been identified, representing a dynastic succession spanning the 4th through 9th centuries AD.
Background
Discoveries since the mid-1980s by archaeologists Arlen Chase, Diane Chase, and Jaime Awe about Caracol — "once thought to have been of only modest size and something of a political backwater" — are now considered to have "revolutionised our view" of the ancient city-state.
Caracol is now believed to have been 'a key player in the diplomatic and military manoeuvrings' of the Classic Maya Lowlands. As of 2008, fourteen lords of Caracol have been epigraphically identified, spanning the early fourth to early ninth centuries AD.
List of known rulers
The following is an annotated, chronological list of rulers of Caracol:
- Te' K'ab Chaak (early 4th cent; 0) is poorly understood, being attested only in two post-6th century texts. The late reference to this figure implies he was held in high regard by later lords, and so suggests he may have been the city-state's dynastic progenitor.
- K'ahk' Ujol K'inich I (late 5th cent; 0) is similarly poorly understood, being attested only in one 6th century text, and another later one.
- Yajaw Te' K'inich I (late 5th cent; 2) is better understood than his known predecessors. His Stela 13, dedicated in 514 to mark the end of the fourth k'atun, is particularly noted.
- K'an I (early 6th cent; 2) is thought to have succeeded his father, Te' K'inich I. His accession was overseen by a higher authority, but 'it is unclear if this was a divine being or one of the region's dominant "overkings."'
- Yajaw Te' K'inich II (late 6th cent; 5–6) oversaw Caracol's transition 'from the orbit of one great power, Tikal, to that of its rival, the Snake kingdom,' and thereby inaugurated a century-long golden age. His accession is known to have been overseen by Tikal's Wak Chan K'awiil.
- Knot Ajaw (late 6th cent; 3–5) is among Caracol's lesser-known lords. His Stela 5 and 6 are particularly noted.
- K'an II (early 7th cent; 9) oversaw a surge of metropolitan development at Caracol, and a successful war of conquest against Naranjo. His Altar 21, 'an especially elaborate "Giant Ajaw" stone,' is particularly noted, as is the 'key role' his mother, Lady Batz' Ek', played in his reign.
- K'ahk' Ujol K'inich II (late 7th cent; 3) is known to have succeeded K'an II. He oversaw the defeat of Caracol at the Naranjo-launched star war of 680 and thereby inaugurated a century-long Dark Age in that city.
- Ruler VII (late 7th cent; 1) is scarcely known, his reign falling during the post-680 hiatus in monumental construction. His one known monument, Stela 21 of 702, 'shows a king accompanied by a dwarf and a bound captive,' but the patron's name 'is entirely missing.' A tantalising 692 inscription in the nearby Naj Tunich cave, naming a Caracol aristocrat called Tz'ayaj K'ahk', provides a possible but uncertain candidate for this figure.
- Tum Yohl K'inich (late 8th cent; 0) is likewise poorly understood. Crucially, doubt remains as to his royal status, and even as to whether all records of the Tum Yohl K'inich name refer to a single figure. He is thought to have been involved in a fire bearing ritual under the supervision of an Ixkun ruler.
- K'inich Joy K'awiil (late 8th cent; 5–6) oversaw the end of Caracol's post-680 hiatus, and a push to reassert the city-state's regional influence. He is credited with the defeat of the Ucanal and Bital kingdoms. His Stela 11 and Altar 23 are particularly noted.
- K'inich Toobil Yopaat (early 9th cent; 5–8) carried on the renaissance commenced by his predecessor. He is thought to have forged close relations with Ucanal, with joint ceremonies of state undertaken at both cities and wars waged in alliance. His monumental record is noted for the prominence afforded to Papamalil, lord of Ucanal.
- K'an III (early 9th cent; 3) oversaw the beginning of the Classic Maya collapse in Caracol. His monuments, even more so than those of his predecessor, display 'a strong sense that autocratic kingship is [now] having to adapt to new circumstances, that kings now need to negotiate their position with relatives or magnates whose power matches or even exceeds their own.'
- Ruler XIII (late 9th cent; 1) is the last known king of Caracol. His single monument, Stela 10, is the latest such in the 'crumbling' city, as 'no further signs of elite activity at Caracol' are known.
Period of rule
The following table chronicles the estimated periods during which each of the known Lords ruled in Caracol:
See also
- Maya monarchs, listing known rulers of various Classic and Postclassic Maya states
- Lists of ancient kings, listing lists of known rulers of various ancient Old and New World states
Notes and references
References
- Web site: FAMSI . 2012 . First published ca 2004 by FAMSI . Revised by Inga E Calvin . Guide . Maya Royal Dynasties . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230618223818/http://www.famsi.org/mayawriting/calvin/royal_dynasties.pdf . 18 June 2023 . FAMSI . Los Angeles County Museum of Art . Los Angeles, California.
- Book: Martin S, Grube N . 2008 . Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya . London . Thames & Hudson . 978-0-500-28726-2 . 2008396649 . First published 2000 by Thames & Hudson . 2nd .
- Book: Okoshi T, Chase AF, Nondédéo P, Arnauld MC . 2021 . Maya Kingship: Rupture and Transformation from Classic to Postclassic Times . Maya Studies . Gainesville, Florida . University Press of Florida . 978-0-813-05769-9 . 2020037886 .
- Book: Sharer RJ, Traxler LP . 2006 . First published 1946 by SUP . 6th . The Ancient Maya . Stanford, California . Stanford University Press . 0-8047-4816-0 . 2005003043.
External links
16.7631°N -89.1178°W
