The Mayan Empire

Science Article
Link: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/09/maya-empire-snake-kings-dynasty-mesoamerica/

The Mayan Empire stretched from an estimated 525 A.D. to 1300 A.D. Hundreds of research expeditions and excavation teams have been sent out into the ruins of temples and pyramids from this era, in search of what happened in that almost 10 century time period of the first documented history of the Mayan Empire. Throughout its time the empire had several different dynasties and rulers overseeing and conquering its lands. The lost empire of Maya refers to the ‘lost’ decades of history, a time when the murals and carvings simply went blank. It's as if the Mayans were trying to erase that part of history. A discovery by Mr.
Estrada-Bellini, a Guatemalan researcher, and his team of archeologists would spill light onto a whole new history of the Mayan Empire. Mr. Bellini and his team began their search in the outskirts of where Holmul used to be located. They came upon a mural that depicted passengers moving along a path to a new land. The most interesting part of this find was that parts of the mural were missing, not eroded but physically almost purposefully removed. Ten years in the future, Bellini and his team were exploring one of the larger pyramids in the Holmul area, they had shimmied into it through a series of narrow holes in the floors. They discovered a 26-foot long stucco frieze at the base of an ancient ceremonial tomb. This was both a rare and fragile find which, with a closer inspection would depict a dynasty called the Kaanul (Snakes) that was represented by a “grinning snake”. The frieze was the key that was needed to piece together the missing centuries of history. Other murals and carvings had been found in surrounding cities such as Calakmul, Dzibanche, and Saknikte; they all bore the symbol of the Snakes. The artifacts revealed that the Snake dynasty's first known ruler was Stone Hand Jaguar. His rule was not sudden, but gradual. He took time and thought into his plans for his first conquest, the city of Tikal. The city housed 60,000 people and was the Snakes largest and most threatening enemy. Stone Hand Jaguar gathered many allies and made frequent visits to the city. However, before his plan could be put into action he died and his son Sky Witness stepped into his place and continued his work. On April 29, 562 the city of Tikal fell to the hands of Sky Witness and the Snakes. It is assumed by inscriptions on an altar found in Caracol that the city was ‘sacked’ and the king was sacrificed on a stone altar to finalize his fall and surrender of the city. Sky Witness only lived to see 10 years of his reign over Tikal, he was estimated to be in his early thirties. The rulers of the Snakes after Sky Witnesses passing is unclear.
It is suggested that the reign was shared and power was distributed over 8 different rulers. They continued to conquer city after city, mostly smaller cities over large vast lands. The Snakes had a different mindset than most other rulers during the Mayan Empire Era. They HAD conquered cities yet they still wanted more, to expand, to build an empire of their own. Snakes kings had a strategy, they traded with the cities in the north, allied with the cities in the east, settled in the west, and continued to conquer the cities in the south. The (known) cities that few Snakes settled into to carry out their rule were; Calakmul, home to 50,000; Holmul, originally the main city of the Snakes; Tikal, the Snakes first conquest, home to 60,00; Dzibanche;
Saknikte. The Snakes history goes undocumented for a handful of years and begins again with the Capital City being Calakmul, formerly Holmul.
There was no fore-mention of the move, in the murals and tablets it seemed to just happen. The Snakes relocated their capital city to Calakmul and in 635 erected a monument displaying their power and status as rulers/masters of the city. The move placed Yuknoom Cheen II in the position of power and less than a year after he took the throne as ruler of the Snakes. Yuknoom Cheen II, known as Shaker of Cities, is known as the greatest Snake & Mayan ruler known to man. He strategically pitted other rules of lands against each other for his own benefit. He managed to continue this strategy for up to 50 years of his
rule. Yuknoom Cheen II “Shaker of Cities” died at the age of 86. His death would begin to mark the end of an era. The city of Tikal rose up against the Snakes in 695 A.D. They were led by a young king by the name of God that Clears the Sky. Claw of Fire led the Snake army against the young king. There are no records of the exact result of the uprising. There has yet to be evidence to piece together what possibly happened. The Snakes were no more after that year. However, there was no one in their place as rulers. The Mayans had come to the end of an Era.