| Yikʼin Chan Kʼawiil | |
|---|---|
| Ajaw | |
 Yikʼin Chan Kʼawiil as depicted in a lintel from Tikal Temple IV.[1] | |
| King ofTikal | |
| Reign | 8 December 734 –c. 755 |
| Predecessor | Jasaw Chan Kʼawiil I |
| Successor | 28th Ruler |
| Born | before 734 Tikal |
| Died | c. 755 Tikal |
| Issue | 28th Ruler Yax Nuun Ahiin II |
| Father | Jasaw Chan Kʼawiil I |
| Mother | Lady Lahan Unen Moʼ |
| Religion | Maya religion |
| Signature |  |
Yikʼin Chan Kʼawiil[N 1] also known asRuler B,Yaxkin Caan Chac andSun Sky Rain, (before 734 –c. 746/766?), was anajaw of theMaya city ofTikal. He took the throne on 8 December 734.[N 2][2]
Identified byMayanist epigraphers as the 27th ruler in Tikal's dynastic succession,[3] Yikʼin Chan Kʼawiil was one of Tikal's most successful and expansionary rulers, consolidating the political gains won by his father,Jasaw Chan Kʼawiil I. During his reign prolific building works were undertaken at Tikal, with a number of the site's significant still-standing structures commissioned or extended under his direction. Before advances in the decipherment of theMaya script revealed this reading of his name, this ruler was also known to researchers as Tikal Ruler B.[2]
Yikʼin Kʼawiil conqueredCalakmul in 736 and two other Calakmul allies in 743 and 744:El Peru to the east andNaranjo to the west, destroying the noose of power that had previously dominated the area.[4]
His principal wife was a princess ofPalenque.[citation needed] It is unknown exactly where his tomb lies, but strongarchaeological parallels between Burial 116 (the resting place of his father) and Burial 196, located in the diminutivepyramid immediately south ofTikal Temple II and referred to as Structure 5D-73, suggest the latter may be the tomb of Yikʼin Chan Kawiil. Other possible locations, and likely candidates as mortuary shrines, includeTikal Temple IV andTikal Temple VI.[5][6]
The monuments and texts associated with Yikʼin Chan Kʼawiil are: Stelae 5, 20? and 21; Altars 2, 8? and 9; Column Altars 1, 2? and 3?; Temple 4 Lintels 2 and 3; Lintel from Structure 5D-52; Tikal Rock Sculpture?.[2]
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Ajaw of Tikal 8 December 734 –c. 746 | Succeeded by |
