| Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Yopaat | |
|---|---|
| Ajaw | |
 Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Yopaat as depicted on Stela E at Quiriguá | |
| King ofQuiriguá | |
| Reign | 29 December 724 - 27 July 785 |
| Predecessor | Unknown (Last known ruler:K'awiil Yopaat) |
| Successor | Sky Xul |
| Born | c. 690[1] Quiriguá |
| Died | 31 July 785(785-07-31) (aged 94–95) Quiriguá |
| Issue | Sky Xul (possibly) |
| Religion | Maya religion |
Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Yopaat,[pronunciation?] previously known variously asCauac Sky,[2]Kawak Sky,Butsʼ Tiliw[pronunciation?] andButzʼ Tiʼliw, was the leader of the ancientMaya city-state ofQuiriguá.
Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Yopaat ruled the city from 724 to 785 AD. The most significant event of his reign—and ofQuiriguá's history—occurred in AD 738 (9.15.6.14.6 on the Mayan calendar), when his forces defeated the city ofCopán. The ruler ofCopán,Uaxaclajuun Ubʼaah Kʼawiil (formerly known as "18 Rabbit") was captured and later beheaded.[3] It began when, in 734, on Altar M at Quirigua, Kʼak Tiliw Chan Yopaat gives himself the titlekʼuhul ajaw, thus declaring Quirigua's independence from Copan.[4] To formally declare hissovereignty, he received theK'awiil sceptre to signify his accession.[5][6][7]
Before Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Yopaat's bold move,Quiriguá had been a vassal ofCopán.[8] The defeat ofCopán led to its decline but heralded a golden age for its former dependent. For the next 38 years, stonecutters ofQuiriguá createdzoomorphs andstele celebrating their legendary king.
His monuments are significant as they refuted the European misconception that Indigenous populations were less advanced, showcasing their ability to create monumental and highly sophisticated civilizations. The talleststele in the Maya world is stele E from Quiriguá, stretching 35 feet (10.7 metres high).[10] His monumental achievements, including the towering stele E carved from a single stone, echo the grandeur and symbolic power of Egyptianobelisks.[11]
Quiriguá became a fully autonomous city which controlled the main trade route from theCaribbean to the Maya world. Meanwhile, this incident was followed by a 20-year hiatus in inscriptions atCopán, as well as the disappearance of any further mention of 18 Rabbit.
Current evidence leads to the conclusion that Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Yopaat died in 785 AD. There remains a stone atQuiriguá, now identified asZoomorph G, which seems to have served as hisfuneral marker.[12]
Two other rulers are known to have reigned atQuiriguá in ensuing years—Sky Xul andJade Sky—each for about ten years.[13]
Coe121 was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).