Yax Kuk Mo dynasty

Incense burner that represents K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo'.

The city was re founded by king K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo', establishing it as the capital of a new Mayan kingdom named Oxwitik. Apparently, this operation was organized and directed from the city-sate of Tikal. Mayan glyphs mention the arrival of a warrior named K'uk' Mo' Ajaw who installed himself on the throne of the city in the year 426 AD. C., receiving the new royal name of K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' and the title of ochk'in kaloomte ("Lord of the West"), the same title used a generation earlier by King Siyaj K'ak', a general of the great metropolis of Teotihuacán that had intervened decisively in the politics of the center of the Petén basin and it was the most powerful and important city in Mesoamerica in the classical period.[3]

K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' was probably born and raised in Tikal, and some of his relatives lived in Teotihuacan. The king was likely patronized by Siyaj Chan K'awill II, the sixteenth ruler in the Tikal dynastic succession. K'inich Yax K'uk 'Mo' may have tried to legitimize his position as king by marrying into the old royal family of Copán, which is evidenced by the remains of his presumed widow. Analysis of the widow's bones indicates that she was originally from Copán. After the establishment of the new Copán kingdom, the city remained closely allied with Tikal. The text on Altar Q describes how the founder received the royal scepter. The ceremonies involved in the founding of the Copán Yax Kuk Mo dynasty also included the installation of a subordinate king at Quiriguá. A text from Tikal mentioning K'uk' Mo' has been dated to AD 406. C., 20 years before K'uk' Mo' Ajaw founded the new Copán dynasty. It is likely that both names refer to the same person originally from Tikal.[4][5][6]

Altar Q that represent the rulers of Copan.

Although the Mayan texts referring to the founding of the new Copan dynasty do not include a description of K'uk 'Mo's arrival in the city, there is indirect evidence to suggest that he conquered it militarily. On Altar Q he is depicted as a warrior with typical Teotihuacan "blinders" on his eyes and a serpent-type war shield. When he arrived in Copán, he began the construction of several architectural structures, including a temple in the talud-tablero style very typical of Teotihuacán, and another with recessed corners and moldings that are characteristic of Tikal.[7] These strong ties to the culture of the Maya and that of central Mexico suggest that he was a Teotihuanized Maya, or possibly even a Teotihuacan warrior. The dynasty founded by King K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' ruled the city for four centuries and includes sixteen kings, plus a probable claimant who would have been seventeenth in the line of succession. Several monuments dedicated to K'inich Yax K'uk 'Mo' and his successor have survived.

Next in line was K'inich Popol Hol, son of Yax Kuk Mo, who oversaw the construction of the first version of the Mesoamerican ballcourt in the city, which was decorated with images of the scarlet macaw, a bird which occupies a prominent place in Mayan mythology. He carried out many construction works in the area of his father's palace, now under Structure 10L-16, which he demolished after burying his father there. He built, in rapid succession, three successive buildings on top of the tomb. Successors of Copan were the tradition of its founder, carrying out important constructions and architectural wonders in the city of Copan. One of the most emblematic monuments of this dynastic era was the Rosalila Temple. The stela was also implemented.[8]