Yuknoom Tookʼ Kʼawiil (reigned >702-731>) was a
Maya ruler of the Kaan kingdom (
Calakmul).
Reign
Yuknoom Tookʼ Kʼawiil erected many
stelae to celebrate the 9.13.10.0.0 period ending of 702. Although activity within the site is not necessarily an indicator of the strength of external relations, in the same year a variant of Tookʼ Kʼawiil's name appears in a text at
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 62 ...
(in external references including this one, he is called "Scroll-head Kʼawiil", one of a confusing series of alternatives and abbreviations for this king in the glyphic record). This suggests that Calakmul's sphere of influence had at least to some extent survived the
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 archeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Co ...
victory or recovered from it.
El Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy fo ...
, as well, is known to have remained a
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...
, with Tookʼ Kʼawiil supervising the
accession of a new
ruler of that site at some unknown date; and the continuing loyalty of
Naranjo
Naranjo 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. The city lies along the ...
is suggested by the fact that as late as 711, a king there is still professing his allegiance to the late
Yuknoom Yichʼaak Kʼahkʼ
Yuknoom Yichʼaak Kʼahkʼ () or Yuknoom Ixquiac (; October 6, 649 – December 15, 697) was a Maya civilization, Maya king of the Kaan kingdom, which had its capital at Calakmul during the Classic Period of Mesoamerican chronology.
Reign
Thi ...
.
The 9.15.0.0.0 ''
kʼatun'' ending in 731 saw an even more impressive spate of monument erection by Yuknoom Tookʼ Kʼawiil; before looters sawed off their faces in the 1960s, the stelae erected at the base of Structure 1 were the finest surviving sculptures from Calakmul. The magnificent Stela 51, a depiction of Yuknoom, survives in the National Museum of
Anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
.
The inference that Calakmul had fully recovered its bygone vitality, however, is belied by an
altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...
at
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 archeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Co ...
showing a bound Calakmul prisoner; this dates to between 733 and 736 and is paired with a stela bearing the latter date. Yuknoom Tookʼ Kʼawiil may be named in the damaged caption, and
Wamaw Kʼawiil is known to have replaced him on the throne in 736.
[Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens by Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube (2008:112-113)]
Family
Wife of Yuknoom Tookʼ Kʼawiil was possibly Lady of Stela 54.
A daughter of Yuknoom Tookʼ Kʼawiil married a lord of
La Corona
La Corona is the name given by archaeologists to an ancient Maya court residence in Guatemala's Petén department that was discovered in 1996, and later identified as the long-sought "Site Q", the source of a long series of unprovenanced limest ...
in 721.
References
{{Authority control
Kings of Calakmul
8th century in the Maya civilization
8th-century monarchs in North America