Jasaw Chan Kʼawiil IThe ruler's name, when transcribed is ja-sa-wa CHAN-na-KʼAWI꞉L-la, translated "Kʼawiil that Clears? the Sky", Martin & Grube 2008, p.44. also known as Ruler A, Ah Cacao and Sky Rain (before 682-734), was an ''

ajaw Ajaw or Ahau ('Lord') is a pre-Columbian Maya civilization, Maya political title attested from epigraphy, epigraphic inscriptions. It is also the name of the 20th day of the ''tzolkʼin'', the Maya divinatory calendar, on which a ruler's ''kʼat ...

'' of the

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a popul ...

city 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 archeological sites and urban centers of the pre-C ...

. He took the throne on May 3, 682, and reigned until his death.These are the dates indicated on the Maya inscriptions in

Mesoamerican Long Count calendar The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar is a non-repeating, vigesimal (base 20) and octodecimal (base 18) calendar used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures, most notably the Maya. For this reason, it is often known as the May ...

, Accession: 9.12.9.17.16 5 Kib 14 Sotzʼ, Martin & Grube 2008, p.44.Martin & Grube 2008, p.44.

Biography

Before advances in the decipherment of the

Maya script Maya script, also known as Maya glyphs, is historically the native writing system of the Maya civilization of Mesoamerica and is the only Mesoamerican writing system that has been substantially deciphered. The earliest inscriptions found which ...

revealed this reading of his name, this ruler was also known to researchers as Tikal Ruler A, Jasaw Chan Kʼawiil or by the nickname Ah Cacao. One of the most celebrated of Tikal's rulers, Jasaw Chan Kʼawiil's reign came at the end of a 130-year-long hiatus in Tikal's historical record, and his defeat of the rival Maya city of

Calakmul Calakmul (; also Kalakmul and other less frequent variants) is a 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 was one of the l ...

in 695 is seen to represent a resurgence in the strength and influence of Tikal. Two structures at Tikal in particular are associated with Jasaw Chan Kʼawiil. Tikal Temple I is a classically Petén-styled stepped pyramid structure which served as this ruler's tomb, although it is unclear whether it was built for this specific purpose.

Tikal Temple II Tikal Temple II (or the Temple of the Masks, alternatively labelled by archaeologists as Tikal Structure 5D-2) is a Mesoamerican pyramid at the Maya archaeological site of Tikal in the Petén Department of northern Guatemala. The temple was built ...

served as the tomb for his wife, Lady Lahan Unen Moʼ (died c.704).Martin & Grube 2008, pp.46-47. His successor was his son Yikʼin Chan Kʼawiil.

Notes

Footnotes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kawiil, Jasaw Chan, I Rulers of Tikal 7th century in the Maya civilization 8th century in the Maya civilization 7th-century monarchs in North America 8th-century monarchs in North America 7th-century births 734 deaths 7th century in Guatemala 8th century in Guatemala