List of lords of Tikal

This is a list of rulers of Tikal, a major city-state of the Maya Lowlands during the Classic period. Tikal is known to have had at least 33 rulers from the 1st through 9th centuries AD. Twenty-seven of these have been identified, as of 2008.^{[n 1]}

Ajaw of Tikal
Emblem glyph of Tikal
Sihyaj Chan K'awiil II on frontispiece of Stela 31 of Tikal / 2010 photograph by HJPD / via Commons
Details
Style	ajaw k'uhul ajaw kaloomte'  ochk'in kaloomte'
First monarch	Yax Ehb Xook
Last monarch	Jasaw Chan K'awiil II / last known
Formation	c. AD 90
Abolition	c. 869
Residence	Tikal

Background

The monarchy of Tikal is the oldest yet known in the Maya Lowlands, having been founded at the turn of the 1st century AD.^[1] The dynasty is last attested in the late 9th century, after a span of some 800 years and at least 33 rulers.^[2] Thorough excavations, first begun by the University of Pennsylvania, and later by the Guatemalan Institute of Archaeology, have uncovered troves of epigraphic data which Mayanists have employed to reconstruct Tikal's dynastic lineage.^[2] As of 2008, 27 rulers have been identified, including at least one woman.

List

The following is an annotated, chronological list of known lords of Tikal. A tabular list is provided in the following section.^{[n 2]}

Late Preclassic

• Yax Ehb' Xok – r. c. AD 60 or c. AD 90; dynastic founder.
• Siyaj Chan K'awil Chak Ich'aak ("Stormy Sky I") – r. c. 2nd century.
• Yax Ch’aktel Xok – r. c. 200.

Early Classic

• Balam Ajaw ("Decorated Jaguar") – r. 292.
• K'inich Ehb' – r. c. 300.
• Siyaj Chan K'awiil I - r. c. 307.
• Unen Bahlam ("Queen Jaguar") – r. 317.
• "Leyden Plate Ruler" – r. 320.
• K'inich Muwaan Jol – r. c. 359.
• Chak Tok Ich'aak I ("Jaguar Paw I") – r. c. 360–378; died on the same day that Siyah K'ak' arrived in Tikal.
• Yax Nuun Ayiin I – r. 379–404; son of a foreign noble.
• Siyaj Chan K'awiil II ("Stormy Sky II") – r. 411–456; son of Yax Nuun Ayiin I.
• K'an Chitam ("Kan Boar") – r. 458–486.
• Ma'kin-na Chan – r. c. late 5th century.
• Chak Tok Ich'aak II ("Jaguar Paw Skull") – r. 486–508; married "Lady Hand."
• Ix Kalo'mte' Ix Yo K'in ("Lady of Tikal") – r. 511–527; co-ruled with Kaloomte' B'alam, possibly as consort.
• Kaloomte' B'alam ("Curl-Head," "19th Lord") – r. 511–527; co-ruled with Ix Kalo'mte' Ix Yo K'in as regent.
• "Bird Claw" ("Animal Skull I," "Ete I") – r. c. 527–537.
• Wak Chan K'awiil ("Double-Bird") – r. 537–562; captured and possibly sacrificed in Caracol.
• "Lizard Head II" – r. unknown; lost a battle to Caracol in 562.

Late Classic

• Jasaw Chan K'awiil I ("Ruler A," "Ah Cacao") – r. 682–734; entombed in Temple I; married Lady Twelve Macaw; won a battle against Calakmul in 711.
• Yik'in Chan K'awiil ("Ruler B") – r. 734–766; tomb unknown.
• "Temple VI Ruler" – r. 766–768.
• Yax Nuun Ayiin II ("Chitam") – r. 768–790.
• Chitam II ("Dark Sun") – r. c. 810; buried in Temple III.
• "Jewel K'awil" – r. 849.
• Jasaw Chan K'awiil II – r. 869–889

Table

List of known sovereigns of Tikal.^[3]

Name	a.k.a.	No.	From	To	Note
Yax Ehb Xook	Yax Moch Xok Yax Chakte'l Xok	1st	c. 90	c. 110	Founder
?	Foliated Jaguar Scroll Ahau Jaguar	?	?	?	–
?	Animal Headdress	?	c. 280	c. 300	–
Sihyaj Chan K'awiil I	–	11th	c. 307	c. 310	Son of Animal Headdress
Unen Bahlam	–	?	c. 317	c. 320	–
K'inich Muwaan Jol	Mahk'ina Bird Skull Feather Skull	13th	c. 330	359	Death 23 May 359, possibly
Chak Tok Ich'aak I	Jaguar Paw Great Paw Great Jaguar Paw Jaguar Paw III Toh Chak Ich'ak	14th	360	378	Son of K'inich Muwaan Jol Accession 7 Aug. 360, possibly Death 15 Jan. 378
Yax Nuun Ahiin I	Curl Snout Curl Nose	?	379	c. 404	Son of Spearthrower Owl Accession 12 Sep. 379 Death 17 Jun. 404, possibly
Sihyaj Chan K'awiil II	Stormy Sky Manikin Cleft Sky	16th	411	456	Son of Yax Nuun Ahiin I Accession 26 Nov. 411 Death 3 Feb. 456
K'an Chitam	Kan Boar K'an Ak	?	458	c. 486	Son of Sihyaj Chan K'awiil II Birth 26 Nov. 415, possibly Accession 8 Aug. 458
Chak Tok Ich'aak II	Jaguar Paw Skull Jaguar Paw II	?	c. 486	508	Son of K'an Chitam Death 24 Jul. 508
?	Lady of Tikal Woman of Tikal	?	511	c. 527	Daughter of Chak Tok Ich'aak II, possibly Birth 1 Sep. 504 Accession 19 Apr. 511
Kaloomte' Bahlam	Curl Head	19th	c. 511	c. 527	–
?	Twentieth Ruler	20th	?	?	a.k.a. Bird Claw or Animal Skull I or Ete I, possibly
Wak Chan K'awiil	Double Bird	21st	537	562	Son of Chak Tok Ich'aak II Accession 29 Dec. 537, possibly
?	Animal Skull	22nd	c. 590	c. 620	Son of Fire Cross
?	Twenty-third Ruler	23rd	?	?	–
?	Twenty-fourth Ruler	24th	?	?	–
Nuun Ujol Chaak	Shield Skull Nun Bak Chak	?	c. 655	c. 680	Son of K'inich Muwaan Jol II, possibly
Jasaw Chan K'awiil I	Ruler A Ah Cacao Sky Rain	?	682	734	Son of Nuun Ujol Chaak Accession 3 May 683
Yik'in Chan K'awiil	Ruler B Yaxkin Caan Chac Sun Sky Rain	27th	734	c. 746	Son of Jasaw Chan K'awiil I Accession 8 Dec. 734
?	Twenty-eighth Ruler	28th	c. 766	768	Son of Yik'in Chan K'awiil
Yax Nuun Ahiin II	Ruler C Chitam	29th	768	c. 794	Son of Yik'in Chan K'awiil Accession 25 Dec. 768
Nuun Ujol K'inich	–	?	c. 800	c. 800	–
?	Dark Sun	?	c. 810	c. 810	–
Jewel K'awiil	–	?	c. 849	c. 849	Son of Nuun Ujol K'inich, possibly
Jasaw Chan K'awiil II	Stela 11 Ruler	?	c. 869	c. 869	–

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

Explanatory footnotes

1. Dates sourced from Martin & Grube 2008 are in the Julian calendar, converted from the Maya Long Count via the GMT+2 correlation (Martin & Grube 2008, p. 13).
2. English language names are provisional nicknames based on rulers' identifying glyphs, where their Maya language names have not yet been definitively deciphered phonetically.

Short citations

1. Martin & Grube 2008, pp. 17, 25–26.
2. Martin & Grube 2008, p. 25.
3. Martin & Grube 2008, pp. 24–53.

Full citations

1. FAMSI (2012) [First published ca 2004 by FAMSI]. "Maya Royal Dynasties" (PDF). FAMSI (Guide) (Revised by Inga E Calvin ed.). Los Angeles, California: Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 June 2023.
2. Martin S, Grube N (2008) [First published 2000 by Thames & Hudson]. Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya (2nd ed.). London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-28726-2. LCCN 2008396649.
3. Sharer RJ, Traxler LP (2006) [First published 1946 by SUP]. The Ancient Maya (6th ed.). Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-4816-0. LCCN 2005003043.

External links