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The Second Tikal–Calakmul War was the second in a series of wars between
Tikal Tikal (; ''Tik'al'' in modern Mayan orthography) 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-Col ...
and
Calakmul Calakmul (; also Kalakmul and other less frequent variants) is a Maya civilization, Maya archaeological site in the Mexican state of Campeche, deep in the jungles of the greater Petén Basin region. It is from the Guatemalan border. Calakmul w ...
known as The
Tikal–Calakmul wars The Tikal–Calakmul wars were a series of wars, mainly between Tikal and Calakmul on the Yucatán Peninsula, but also with vassal states in the Petén Basin such as Copán, Dos Pilas, Naranjo, Sacul, El Petén, Sacul, Quiriguá, and briefly Yaxch ...
. Tikal and Calakmul were two of the most prosperous cities in Peten during the classic period of
Mesoamerican chronology Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian, prehispanic Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian (first human habitation until 3500 BCE); the Archaic (before 2600 BCE), the Preclassic or Formative (2500 BC ...
. After the classic came the post classic which was characterized by a decline in
Maya civilization The Maya civilization () was a Mesoamerican civilization that existed from antiquity to the early modern period. It is known by its ancient temples and glyphs (script). The Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writin ...
. During that time both Tikal and Calakmul were abandoned.


Dos Pilas

In 629 Ajaw Kʼinich Muwaan Jol II of
Tikal Tikal (; ''Tik'al'' in modern Mayan orthography) 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-Col ...
made his son
Bʼalaj Chan Kʼawiil Bʼalaj Chan Kʼawiil (15 October 625 – ??) was a Maya king of Dos Pilas. He is also known as Ruler 1, Flint Sky God K and Malah Chan Kʼawil. Early years He was born in Tikal on 15 October 625 A.D. His father was K'inich Muwaan Jol II, ...
( in the Maya writing system) ruler of
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, and was founded by an offshoot of the dynasty of the great city of Tikal in AD 6 ...
, a newly founded vassal state of Tikal. B'alaj Chan K'awiil was a major protagonist in the bitter factional dispute between two lords carrying the same emblem glyph. The clash emerged from the obscurity of Tikal's 130-year Hiatus and coincided with the epic contest for political ascendency between Tikal and Calakmul. Bʼalaj Chan Kʼawiil's claim to the royal emblem of Mutal was evidently based on him being the son of K'inich Muwaan Jol, as stated on Dos Pilas Panel 6. Nuun Ujol Chaak, the other bearer of the Tikal emblem, was probably his half-brother. A recently exposed section of Hieroglyphic Stairway 2 in Dos Pilas might have thrown light on the timing and circumstances of a Tikal at the time, but erosion obscures most of the details of B'alaj Chan K'awiil's early life. The text does reveal that in 648 he scored a military victory while the same day saw the death of a lord bearing the Mutal emblem. It is unclear, but these events appear to serve as preamble to what came next. In 650 Yuknoom the Great, the Snake Lord, of Calakmul attacked Dos Pilas and forced Bʼalaj Chan Kʼawiil to take refuge at Aguateca. Then in 657 the Snake Lord attacked Tikal itself and drove Nuun Ujol Chaak from his city, establishing Calakmul as the supreme power in the entire region. B'alaj Chan K'awiil accepted Yuknoom Ch'een as his overlord, and Nuun Ujol Chaak was probably compelled to pledge fealty as well, for both lords carrying the Mutal emblem witnessed a ritual performed by Calakmul prince Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' at some point in the years leading up to 662.


Civil War

In 672, Nuun Ujol Chaak attacked Dos Pilas and forced Bʼalaj Chan Kʼawiil to abandon the city, this time fleeing to a place named Chaak Naah. The following year Chaak Naah was set burned by Nuun, and B'alaj Chan K'awiil was compelled to take flight again. He traveled to the kingdom of
Hix Witz Zapote Bobal is the modern name for a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site located south of the San Pedro Martir river in the Petén department of Guatemala. The name ''Zapote Bobal'' was coined by archaeologist Ian Graham, who discovered the s ...
. It was not until
Calakmul Calakmul (; also Kalakmul and other less frequent variants) is a Maya civilization, Maya archaeological site in the Mexican state of Campeche, deep in the jungles of the greater Petén Basin region. It is from the Guatemalan border. Calakmul w ...
vanquished Nuun Ujol Chaak at Pulil in 677, that B'alaj Chan K'awiil is able to return to Dos Pilas. The final showdown came in 679 when B'alaj Chan K'awiil defeated Nuun Ujol Chaak and captured a Tikal lord named Nuun Bahlam.


Tikal's return to power

Balaj Chan K'awiil began a program of monumental inscriptions in 682, recording his travails and ultimate victory, as well as his debt of fealty to Calakmul. He stated that he celebrated the 9.12.10.0.0 period ending at Calakmul in a ceremony with his overlord Yuknoom the Great, and he returned to Calakmul four years later for the accession of Yuknoom Yichʼaak Kʼahkʼ. B'alaj Chan K'awiil's daughter Lady Six Sky re-founded the dynasty of
Naranjo Naranjo (Wak Kab'nal in Mayan) is a Pre-Columbian Maya city in the Petén Basin region of Guatemala. It was occupied from about 500 BC to 950 AD, with its height in the Late Classic Period. The site is part of Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park. ...
, while another daughter (or perhaps a sister) married into the royal lineage of
Arroyo de Piedra Arroyo de Piedra is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site in Guatemala located approximately 2-3 km east/northeast of Dos Pilas and 3 km west of Tamarindito. The site dates to the middle half of the Classic period. While initially a center of ...
, which together with
Tamarindito Tamarindito is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization located along an escarpment in the Petén Department, Petén Departments of Guatemala, department of Guatemala. The city was the capital of the Petexbatún region of the southwestern P ...
had been one of the principal powers in the Petexbatun region before the founding of Dos Pilas. Bʼalaj Chan Kʼawiil's marriage to the
Lady of Itzan ''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. "Lady" is al ...
(a nearby kingdom) produced at least one son and heir. B'alaj died in 692 and three years later in 695 during a large battle Tikal turned the tables on Calakmul, ending the second war. After this the balance of power shifted heavily from Calakmul to Tikal. {{DEFAULTSORT:Second Tikal-Calakmul War 7th-century conflicts Tikal-Calakmul Wars 7th century in the Maya civilization