On This Day: New king takes over in struggle between two Mayan "superpowers" - Apr. 3, 686
(edited from Wikipedia)
"
Calakmul
Calakmul was one of the largest and most powerful ancient cities ever uncovered in the Maya lowlands.
Calakmul has a long occupational history and excavations have revealed evidence from the Middle Preclassic right through to the Postclassic. The causeway network that linked Calakmul with the cities of El Mirador, Nakbe and El Tintal suggest strong political links between the four cities that may have begun in the Preclassic, when both Calakmul and El Mirador were important cities.
Calakmul vs. Tikal
The history of the Maya Classic period is dominated by the rivalry between Tikal and Calakmul, likened to a struggle between two Maya "superpowers". Earlier times tended to be dominated by a single larger city and by the Early Classic Tikal was moving into this position after the dominance of El Mirador in the Late Preclassic and Nakbe in the Middle Preclassic.
However Calakmul was a rival city with equivalent resources that challenged the supremacy of Tikal and engaged in a strategy of surrounding it with its own network of allies. From the second half of the 6th century AD through to the late 7th century Calakmul gained the upper hand although it failed to extinguish Tikal's power completely and Tikal was able to turn the tables on its great rival in a decisive battle that took place in AD 695. Half a century later Tikal was able to gain major victories over Calakmul's most important allies.
[Perhaps male line vs. female line]
The great rivalry between these two cities may have been based on more than competition for resources. Their dynastic histories reveal different origins and the intense competition between the two powers may have had an ideological grounding. Calakmul's dynasty seems ultimately derived from the great Preclassic city of El Mirador while the dynasty of Tikal was profoundly affected by the intervention of the distant central Mexican metropolis of Teotihuacan.[26] With few exceptions, Tikal's monuments and those of its allies place great emphasis upon single male rulers while the monuments of Calakmul and its allies gave greater prominence to the female line and often the joint rule of king and queen.
Yichʼaak Kʼahkʼ
Yuknoom Yichʼaak Kʼahkʼ (649–697) was a Maya king of the Kaan kingdom, which had its capital at Calakmul during the Classic Period of Mesoamerican chronology.
This king acceded in his thirty-sixth year [on April 3, 686].
The inscription of Stela 9, from 662, goes into great detail about the birth of Yuknoom Yichʼaak Kʼahkʼ and accords him a full royal title; thus military victories in the following years, as well as successful assertions of Kaan's hegemony, might tentatively be ascribed to Yichʼaak Kʼahkʼ.
[Military triumphs over Tikal and other accomplishments]
These include military triumphs over Tikal in 677 and (quite probably) 679; supervision of the accessions of kings of Moral and Cancuen in 662 and 677 respectively; the dispatching of Lady Six Sky from Dos Pilas to re-seed the dynasty of Naranjo in 682, and a lieutenant's action expressive of Kaan overlordship at Piedras Negras in 685.
[Then defeat]
In 695 Calakmul suffered a military defeat at the hands of Tikal and it was believed that the king was killed or captured in that battle. A stucco scene at Tikal shows a prisoner being "adorned" for sacrifice and names the Kaan king in a related caption; the text is damaged and in its current condition it allowed for the possibility that it referred to Yichʼaak Kʼahkʼ himself instead of him being the overlord of the prisoner to be killed. A new find at La Corona has revealed that the king survived at least until 696, when he made a visit to that town. There are reasons to believe that Yichʼaak Kʼahkʼ is buried in Tomb 4 within Calakmul's Structure 2.
Yichʼaak Kʼahk's monument program does not even begin to compare with that of his immediate predecessor, and the two stelae that still stand (including Stela 105 from 692) are located far from the site core in the Northeast Group.
Lady Six Sky
In 682 AD, Calakmul sent Lady Six Sky, possibly Ix Wak Chan Jalam Lem in ancient Maya, to reestablish the Naranjo dynasty. Her arrival is written on Stela 24 found in front of Structure C-7. Lady Six Sky was the daughter of the Dos Pilas ruler B'ahlaj Chan K'awiil. While never officially made a ruler, Lady Six Sky performed as a ruler, possibly as regent for her son K'ahk' Tiliw Chan Chaahk who acceded in 693 AD at the age of five.
Between 693 and 698 AD Naranjo carried out a series of at least eight attacks, likely under the auspices of Lady Six Sky, defeating Tikal in 695 AD and Ucanal in 698 AD. K'ak' Tiliw Chan Chaak began another series of attacks in 706 AD including the defeat of Yaxha in 710 AD. Lady Six Sky died in 741 AD.
[Later defeat by Tikal]
Naranjo was defeated by Tikal in 744 AD and the ruler, Yax Mayuy Chan Chaahk, was taken captive and likely sacrificed during Tikal's victory celebrations. However, this wasn't the end of the city's written history. Later kings include Itzamnaaj? K'awiil, who fought against Yaxha and, in 790, repaved the road established by Ah Wosaaj, according to Altar 2.
Naranjo's final abandonment may have been the result of political turmoil and a severe drought dated to 810 AD.
[Calakmul - the city]
Calakmul is located in Campeche state in southeastern Mexico, about 22 mi north of the border with Guatemala and 24 mi north of the ruins of El Mirador. The city is located on a rise about 115 ft above a large seasonal swamp lying to the west. This swamp was an important source of water during the rainy season. The bajo was linked to a sophisticated water-control system including both natural and artificial features such as gullies and canals.
The location of Calakmul at the edge of a bajo provided two additional advantages: the fertile soils along the edge of the swamp and access to abundant flint nodules. The city is situated on a promontory formed by a natural high limestone dome rising above the surrounding lowlands.
At the beginning of the 21st century the area around Calakmul remained covered by dense forest. Calakumul is now located within the 1,800,000-acre Calakmul Biosphere Reserve.
Population and extent
At its height in the Late Classic period the city is estimated to have had a population of 50,000 inhabitants and to have covered an area of over 27 sq mi. The city was the capital of a large regional state with an area of about 5,000 sq mi.
Calakmul was a true urban city and not just an elite centre surrounded by commoner residences.
The Calakmul kingdom included 20 secondary centres, among which were large cities such as La Muñeca, Naachtun, Sasilha, Oxpemul and Uxul. The total population of these secondary centres has been estimated at 200,000. The kingdom also included a large number of tertiary and quaternary sites, mostly fairly small and consisting of a number of groups arranged around courtyards, although there are also larger rural sites situated on ridges along the edges of the bajos that include temples, palaces and stelae.
The total rural population of the kingdom is calculated at 1.5 million people. The entire population of the Calakmul kingdom, including the city itself and the rural population of the regional state, is calculated at 1.75 million people in the Late Classic period.
Calakmul administered a large domain marked by the extensive distribution of their emblem glyph of the snake head sign, to be read "Kaan". Calakmul was the seat of what has been dubbed the Snake Kingdom. At times the city had governance over places as far away as 150 kilometers.
[Naranjo - 'sacred mountain' city]
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. The city lies along the Mopan and Holmul rivers, and is about 50 km east of the site of Tikal. Naranjo has been the victim of severe looting. The site is known for its polychrome ceramic style.
The area of Naranjo covers at least 8 km² with the urban center covering about 2.25 km². There are currently 389 recorded buildings in the central area and over 900 around the center.
The epicenter consists of six triadic complexes, two ballcourts, two palace compounds, and one E-group. C-9 is the largest triadic complex in the city. Structure C-9 is the complexes main pyramid, and the Largest at the site. Because it occupies the top of a natural hill with a cave located inside, it is a perfect place to be categorized as a ‘sacred mountain’.
"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calakmul
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuknoom_Yich%CA%BCaak_K%CA%BCahk%CA%BC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naranjo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_monarchs#Calakmul
---------------------------------------------------------
On This Day: 300 armed women lead Richmond bread riot - Apr. 2, 1863
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016375296
On This Day: U.S. bombs Switzerland by mistake, 40 killed - Apr. 1, 1944
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016375224
On This Day: Daylight saving time starts, later condemned by health studies - March 31, 1918
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016375197
On This Day: Early form of writing system discovered, later translated - Mar. 30, 1900
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016375141
On This Day: Man commits two murders after repeated hypnosis - Mar. 29, 1951
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016375113