Kʼan II (born on April 18, 588, died on July 21, 658 ; Ruler V, Lord Stormwater Moon and Antenna Top II) 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

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, ...

(in present-day

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

). He reigned AD 618–658.

Biography

Birth and family

Kʼan was a younger son of the king

Yajaw Teʼ Kʼinich II Yajaw Teʼ Kʼinich II was a king of the Mayan state Caracol in Belize. He was also known as Ruler III, Lord Water and Lord Muluc and reigned AD 553-593. Biography Yajaw Teʼ Kʼinich II was a son of the king Kʼan I. His mother was Lady Kʼal ...

, and his mother was Lady Batzʼ Ekʼ (possibly Ix Tiwool Chan Ekʼ Lem) of

Yaxha Yaxha (or Yaxhá in Spanish orthography) is a Mesoamerican archaeological site in the northeast of the Petén Basin in modern-day Guatemala. As a ceremonial centre of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, Yaxha was the third largest city in the reg ...

. His half-brother was

Knot Ajaw Knot Ajaw was a king of the Maya city-state Caracol in Belize, a successor of his father Yajaw Te' K'inich II. He reigned AD 599-613>. Name Ajaw (Ahaw) means "king" or "ruler" in Mayan. This king is also known as Ruler IV, Ahaw Serpent and Fla ...

. His paternal grandfather was

Kʼan I Kʼan I (also known as Ruler II, Lord Jaguar and Antenna Top I) was a Maya king of Caracol in Belize. He reigned AD 531-534. Biography Kʼan was a son of the king Yajaw Teʼ Kʼinich I, who was maybe a son of Kʼahkʼ Ujol Kʼinich I and Lady of X ...

Reign

In the view of the substantial expansion from the site core into the surrounding area during his reign, Kʼan II might be considered Caracol's most successful ruler. The wealth underlying this expansion was widespread, as indicated by the quality of grave goods and architecture in the outlying districts; Caracol's system of roadways also expanded to accommodate the growing population. Having taken his grandfather's name upon his accession to rulership, Kʼan often combined it with his childhood name (Sak Bʼaah Witzil r Sak Witzil Bʼaah in order to distinguish his inscriptions from those of his ancestor. He was a successor of his half-brother. The fact that his mother, Lady Batzʼ Ekʼ, was the more junior wife caused Kʼan II to emphasize his royal legitimacy and his mother's importance in the text of Stela 3. It is to Kʼan that we owe Altar 21's account of his father's reign, which saw a shift from the overlordship 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 ...

to that of the Kaan ("Snake") kingdom, as well as the great Tikal reversal of AD 562. He records all of his father's major period endings, but he omits that of his half-brother. Mentions of the Snake kingdom in Kʼan II's inscriptions include a reference to

Sky Witness Sky Witness is a British pay television channel owned and operated by Sky, a division of Comcast. The channel primarily broadcasts procedural dramas from the United States aimed at the 18–45 age demographic. Sky Italia broadcasts an Italia ...

(possibly his death) in 572; an event performed under the auspices of Yuknoom Chan in 619; the accession of

Tajoom Ukʼab Kʼahkʼ Tajoom Ukʼab Kʼahkʼ (Ta Batzʼ) (died October 1, 630) was a Maya ruler of the Kaan kingdom. He became a king on March 28, 622. Reign This ruler's accession is recorded on Caracol Stela 22. It is not known where the event took place, and it ...

in 622; the receipt of a gift from Tajoom Ukʼabʼ Kʼahkʼ in 627; the latter's death in 630; and two successful war events involving Yuknoom Head in 631 and 636. It was probably toward the end of this timespan that the Snake kingdom became established in

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 ...

.Martin and Grube 2000:106 One of Kʼan II's most important monuments is the

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. ...

Hieroglyphic

Stairway A stairwell or stair room is a room in a building where a stair is located, and is used to connect walkways between floors so that one can move in height. Collectively, a set of stairs and a stairwell is referred to as a staircase or stairway. ...

Death

He died on July 21, 658.

References

{{reflist Kings of Caracol 7th-century Maya people 7th-century monarchs in North America 588 births 658 deaths