K'ahk' Xiiw Chan Chaahk (ruled c. 644 CE to c. 680 CE) was a

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

ruler 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. ...

who suffered a defeat by

Caracol Caracol is a large ancient Maya archaeological site, located in what is now the Cayo District of Belize. It is situated approximately south of Xunantunich, and the town of San Ignacio, and from the Macal River. It rests on the Vaca Plateau, ...

, probably in 680 CE. He is sometimes known as K'ahk' Skull Chan Chaak, a nickname bestowed by archaeologists before they could read the word "Xiiw." He was the 37th ruler of Naranjo according to inscriptions at the site, and succeeded the little-known K'uxaj. His reign occurred during the first hiatus period at Naranjo, and his rule produced no known surviving monuments. However, some elements of his life have been reconstructed. He was probably in power by 644 CE, and he fought a successful

star war A star war was a decisive conflict between rival polities of the Maya civilization during the first millennium AD. The term comes from a specific type of glyph used in the Maya script, which depicts a star showering the earth with liquid droplet ...

against Caracol, even dragging a stairway listing Caracol's accomplishments back to the city of Naranjo. Yet a stucco text from Caracol, which is badly eroded, suggests Caracol retaliated. The record at Naranjo goes silent until the arrival of Lady Six Sky from

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 ...

, who took over the dynasty. She was not related to K'ahk' Xiiw Chan Chaahk, but her husband K'ahk' U ? Chan Chaahk may have been a cousin.

References

Naranjo Maya monarchs {{royal-stub