Maya rulers
Maya kings were the centers of power for Maya civilization. Each Maya city-state was controlled by a dynasty of kings.
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[edit] Symbols of power
Many Maya kings created some form of monument to prove their power; some still stand, and some are in ruin.
Maya kings and queens felt obliged to legitimize their claim to power. One of the ways to do this was to build a temple or pyramid. Tikal Temple I is a notable example. This temple was built during the reign of Yik'in Chan K'awiil. Another king named K'inich Janaab' Pakal would later carry out this same show of power when building the Temple of Inscriptions at Palenque.
[edit] Succession
Mayan kings were considered to be godlike, so when a ruler died and left no heir to the throne, the result was usually war and bloodshed. King Pacals precursor, Pacal I, died upon the battlefield. However, instead of the kingdom erupting into chaos, the city of Palenque, a Mayan capital city in southern Mexico, invited a young prince from a different city-state. The prince was only twelve years old. His name was Pakal. Pakal's Temple of Inscriptions towers still today, amid the ruins of Palenque, as the supreme symbol of Pakal's influence and power in Palenque.
[edit] Expansion
Pacal and his predecessors not only built elaborate temples and pyramids. They expanded their city-state into a thriving empire.Under Yikin Chan Kawiil, Tikal conquered Calakmul and the other cities around Tikal, forming what could be referred to as a super city-state. Pacal achieved in creating a major center for power and development.
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Lucero, Lisa Joyce (2006). Water and Ritual: The Rise and Fall of Classic Maya Rulers. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. ISBN ISBN 0292709994. OCLC 61731425.
- Tiesler, Vera and Andrea Cucina (2006). Janaab' Pakal of Palenque: Reconstructing the Life and Death of a Maya Ruler. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press. ISBN 0816525102. OCLC 62593473.
