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A Maya king was expected to be an excellent military leader. He would often carry out raids against rival city-states. The Maya kings also offered their own blood to the gods. The rulers were also expected to have a good mind to solve problems that the city might be facing, including war and food crises.
Altar Q, erected by King Yax Pac in 776 AD. The 16 kings of Copan, beginning with Yax Kuk Mo in 426 AD., is portrayed each in chronological order. Each king is seated on a version of his particular name glyph. This is a list of the kings of the ancient Maya city-state Copán (current western Honduras).
The monarchy of Tikal is the oldest yet known in the Maya Lowlands, having been founded at the turn of the 1st century AD. [1] The dynasty is last attested in the late 9th century, after a span of some 800 years and at least 33 rulers. [2]
The ruler of a Maya city was the supreme war captain. [20] Some only dictated military activity, while others participated in the battle. [ 20 ] There was a core of warriors that served year-round as guards and obtained sacrificial victims, but most large Maya cities and religious centers had militias.
The government of Maya states, from the Yucatán to the Guatemalan highlands, was often organised as joint rule by a council. However, in practice one member of the council could act as a supreme ruler, while the other members served him as advisors. [76] Mayapan was an important Postclassic city in the northern Yucatán Peninsula.
One of the most important cities in the Guatemalan Highlands at this time was Qʼumarkaj, also known as Utatlán, the capital of the aggressive Kʼicheʼ Maya kingdom. [82] The government of Maya states, from the Yucatán to the Guatemalan highlands, was often organised as joint rule by a council.
Uaxaclajuun Ubʼaah Kʼawiil (also known as "Eighteen Rabbit" or "Waxaklajuun Ub'aah K'awiil" [2]), was the 13th ajaw or ruler of the powerful Maya polity associated with the site of Copán in modern Honduras (its Classic Maya name was probably Oxwitik [3]). He ruled from January 2, 695, to May 3, 738.
Ancient Mayan social classes included a complex relationship between elites, including kings and merchants, and commoners. [1] The highest ancient Mayan social class included a single centralized leader known as the king or Kʼuhul ajaw , who was most often a man but occasionally a woman. [ 1 ]