At a Glance
- Title
- Kʼuhul Kan ajaw, Holy Snake Lord.
- Reign
- AD 636–686, 50 years.
- System
- Oversaw installations at Naranjo, Piedras Negras, Dos Pilas.
- War
- Star War 657 humbled Tikal; sacked Palenque 599/611.
I. Overview
Crowned 28 April 636, Yuknoom made the Snake (Kanul) dynasty supreme. Daughters married to vassal kings, princes placed on foreign thrones, Tikal encircled. In 657 Dos Pilas and Calakmul struck Tikal itself and sent its king into exile — opening Tikalʼs 130-year hiatus (WHE, Calakmul).
II. Timeline
Hegemony
Married daughters to clients, sponsored princes, punished defectors. Naranjo got a Snake client; Yaxchilan and Piedras Negras bowed. By 650 twenty courts held the Snake aloft. Raised 30+ stelae and giant Structure II (55 m).
Star War 657
Calakmul and Dos Pilas trampled Tikal. King Nuun Ujol Chaak fled. Bʼalaj Chan Kʼawiil — Tikal prince turned Snake vassal — ruled the victor city. Tikal carved no stelae for 130 years.
Death 686
Died aged ~60, buried in Structure II Tomb 4 with jade and stingray spines. Successor held the system 9 more years until Jasaw of Tikal destroyed it in 695.
III. Gallery
IV. Watch
V. Sources
Sources
- WHE — Calakmul.
https://www.worldhistory.org/Calakmul/ - Martin & Grube, Chronicle of Maya Kings and Queens (2008).
He oversaw the seating of kings.— Calakmul inscriptions