Dos Pilas facts for kids

The Central Plaza of Dos Pilas, a main area of the ancient city.

Dos Pilas is an ancient Maya city. It is located in what is now the Petén area of Guatemala. This city was built during the Late Classic Period, around 629 AD. It was founded by a royal family branch from the powerful city of Tikal. Their goal was to control important trade routes along the Pasión River.

In 648 AD, Dos Pilas broke away from Tikal. It then became a smaller kingdom under the control of Calakmul, a rival Maya superpower. Even so, the first two kings of Dos Pilas still used the same special symbol (called an emblem glyph) as Tikal. Dos Pilas quickly became a strong and conquering state. It took over nearby cities like Itzan, Arroyo de Piedra, and Tamarindito. Eventually, Dos Pilas and a nearby city called Aguateca became the twin capitals of one ruling family. This kingdom is often called the Petexbatun Kingdom.

The story of Dos Pilas helps us understand the big rivalries and political fights that happened during the Late Classic Maya period. We know a lot about Dos Pilas's history, more than almost any other Maya site. On June 12, 1970, the site was officially declared a National Monument in Guatemala.

What Does "Dos Pilas" Mean?

The name Dos Pilas comes from Guatemalan Spanish. It means two wells or two water containers. This is the most common understanding of the name. Some early explorers thought it meant two stelae (tall stone monuments). The special symbol for Dos Pilas is the same as Tikal's, called Mutal. Its exact meaning is not fully clear, but it looks like a hair knot.

Where is Dos Pilas Located?

Dos Pilas is in the Petexbatún region of northern Guatemala. It is in the southwest part of the Petén area. The city sits between the Pasión River and the Salinas River. The site is about 160 meters (525 feet) above sea level. Dos Pilas is part of the Sayaxché area, a town on the Pasión River. It is about 8 kilometers (5 miles) east of the Mexican border. It is also about 120 kilometers (75 miles) southwest of Tikal and 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of Tamarindito. The nearby Lake Petexbatún and the Pasión River flow into the larger Usumacinta River.

When Dos Pilas was at its strongest, its kingdom covered about 3,885 square kilometers (1,500 square miles). The area around Dos Pilas has thick forests, low wetlands, rivers, and lakes. It gets a lot of rain, about 2,500 millimeters (98 inches) each year.

Who Were the Rulers of Dos Pilas?

Panel 10 from Dos Pilas. This stone monument was originally from Arroyo de Piedra. It was moved to Dos Pilas after Dos Pilas conquered that city.

Here are the known rulers of Dos Pilas:

• B'alaj Chan K'awiil (Ruler 1) was born in 625 AD. He said he was from the royal family of Tikal. On a stone carving at Dos Pilas, he named a Tikal king as his father. He likely saw himself as the true heir to the Tikal throne. In 648 AD, he left Tikal to start Dos Pilas as a rival kingdom. This new kingdom was under the control of Calakmul. B'alaj Chan K'awiil had at least two wives. One was from the nearby kingdom of Itzan. His daughter, Wak Chanil Ajaw, later left Dos Pilas to start a new royal family in Naranjo.

• Itzamnaaj B'alam had a very short rule around 697 AD. He was the son of B'alaj Chan K'awiil and his wife from Itzan.

• Itzamnaaj K'awiil (Ruler 2) was another son of B'alaj Chan K'awiil. He was born in 673 AD, probably in Calakmul. This was during his family's time in exile after Tikal defeated Dos Pilas. He ruled for 28 years and died in October 726 AD. A stone monument says he was buried four days later, at night, within Dos Pilas. A tomb found under Structure L5-1 is believed to be his.

• Ucha'an K'in B'alam (Ruler 3, "Master of Sun Jaguar") ruled from 727 to 741 AD. He might not have been a direct heir. He was likely a regent, a strong leader ruling while the true heir was still a child. He was already important in Dos Pilas 20 years before becoming king. He captured the lord of Tikal in 705 AD. Ucha'an K'in B'alam married a woman from Cancuén, a city that controlled the upper Pasión River. He died in May 741 AD. His death is recorded on a monument at Aguateca, his twin capital. It is thought he was buried there, but his tomb has not been found.

• K'awiil Chan K'inich (Ruler 4) became king of Dos Pilas in June 741 AD. This was 26 days after "Master of Sun Jaguar" died. We don't know when he died. But he had to flee Dos Pilas in 761 AD and was never mentioned again.

The History of Dos Pilas

The Mutal emblem glyph, a special symbol shared by Dos Pilas and Tikal.

Early Times: Before 629 AD

We don't know much about the very early history of the Dos Pilas site. There are signs of an older local ruling family before B'alaj Chan K'awiil arrived from Tikal. From the Early Classic period, the Petexbatún region was controlled by a Maya kingdom. This kingdom was centered at the sites of Tamarindito and Arroyo de Piedra. B'alaj Chan K'awiil founded Dos Pilas within this existing kingdom's territory. The new city quickly became the most powerful in the region.

Founding and Growth of Dos Pilas

The relationships between ancient Maya cities were strongly linked to the long fight for power. This was between the two Maya "superpowers": Tikal and Calakmul. The history of Dos Pilas is a great example of this.

629 AD: Starting with Tikal

In 629 AD, the Tikal king, K'inich Muwaan Jol II, placed his four-year-old son, Balaj Chan K’awiil, as the ruler of Dos Pilas. To show its connection to Tikal, the new kingdom of Dos Pilas used Tikal's special emblem glyph. For the next 20 years, Balaj Chan K’awiil fought loyally for his brother and the king of Tikal.

648 AD: Switching to Calakmul

In 648 AD, King Yuknoom Ch'een II of Calakmul attacked and defeated Dos Pilas. He captured Balaj Chan K’awiil. Around the same time, the king of Tikal was killed. Yuknoom Che'en II then put Balaj Chan K'awiil back on the throne of Dos Pilas. But now, Balaj Chan K'awiil was a loyal ally of Calakmul, Tikal's biggest enemy. It's not known exactly how Calakmul convinced Balaj Chan K'awiil to switch sides.

672 AD: Tikal Fights Back

King Nuun Ujol Chaak of Tikal attacked and captured Dos Pilas in 672 AD. This forced B'alaj Chan K'awiil to live in exile for five years, probably in Calakmul.

677 AD: Calakmul Helps Dos Pilas

B'alaj Chan K'awiil's exile ended in 677 AD. This happened on the same day that Calakmul celebrated a victory over Tikal. This showed how much B'alaj Chan K'awiil depended on his powerful ally, Calakmul.

Tikal and Dos Pilas fought again in 679 AD. Tikal suffered a big defeat by its smaller rival. Even though Dos Pilas celebrated this as a victory, neither side gained a true advantage. For Dos Pilas, this battle helped make its kingdom stronger. It showed that Tikal could not easily crush its breakaway state. Stone carvings at Dos Pilas describe the victory in strong words. They mention "pools of blood" and "piles of heads" from a major battle. Dos Pilas likely got military help from Calakmul.

B'alaj Chan K'awiil made his power stronger through marriages. He had at least two wives. His main wife was a noblewoman from Itzan, another city in the Pasión River area. Their marriage produced his heirs, Itzamnaaj Balam and Itzamnaaj K'awiil. B'alaj Chan K'awiil also had a famous daughter, Lady Six Sky, with a second wife. She was sent to Naranjo to restart its royal family. B'alaj Chan K'awiil visited Calakmul several times. In 682 AD, he took part in a special ceremony there. In 686 AD, he attended the crowning of Calakmul's new king.

695 AD: Tikal's Big Victory

Calakmul and its allies faced problems after Tikal defeated Calakmul in 695 AD. This changed the balance of power in the Maya lowlands. Around this time, Balaj Chan K'awiil died. One of his sons, Itzamnaaj Balam, became king. The exact year is not clear. Itzamnaaj Balam did not rule for long. His brother, Itzamnaaj K'awiil, replaced him in 698 AD.

705 AD: Tikal Defeated Again

The war with Tikal continued under the new king, Itzamnaaj K'awiil. In 705 AD, Tikal was defeated again, and its lord was captured. This victory was led by Itzamnaaj K'awiil's general, Ucha'an K'in B'alam. He would later become king himself. After this victory, Dos Pilas gained tribute (payments) in labor and wealth. This led to the city growing quickly. At this time, Itzamnaaj K'awiil ordered the building of the El Duende group. This included a large temple on a hilltop east of the main city area. Dos Pilas also won battles against smaller enemies in 717 and 721 AD. Itzamnaaj K'awiil set up five stone monuments in the El Duende group to celebrate his military wins. Itzamnaaj K'awiil died in 726 AD and was buried four days later. A royal tomb found under Structure 5-1 is likely his.

Dos Pilas's Attacks and Conquests

By the 8th century AD, Dos Pilas was strong enough to attack the much larger city of Seibal on the Pasión River. In 735 AD, the Lord of Dos Pilas (Ruler 3, "Master of Sun Jaguar") attacked Seibal. He captured Yich'aak B'alam, Seibal's king. The captured king was not killed. Instead, he became a ruler under the control of Dos Pilas. Around this time, the nearby site of Aguateca became a twin capital of the Dos Pilas kingdom. Victory monuments were put up in both cities at the same time.

In 743 AD, K'awiil Chan K'inich went to war against the sites of Ahkul and El Chorro. Two years later, in 745 AD, he fought against the distant cities of Yaxchilán (on the Usumacinta River) and Motul de San José (on Lake Petén Itzá). Stone carvings on Hieroglyphic Stairway 3 show the capture of the lords of these cities, including El Chorro.

Dos Pilas continued to control Seibal even after "Master of Sun Jaguar" died. His successor, K'awiil Chan Kinich, led ceremonies at Seibal in 745–747 AD.

The Fall and Abandonment of Dos Pilas

Constant fighting in the Maya region soon made the whole area unstable. This happened after Dos Pilas's main supporter, Calakmul, was defeated. In 761 AD, Dos Pilas was suddenly abandoned. This was after Tamarindito and other nearby cities rebelled against their Dos Pilas overlord. A stone stairway at Tamarindito mentions the forced flight of K'awiil Chan K'inich. He was never mentioned again after that. The royal family of Dos Pilas probably moved to the more easily defended city of Aguateca, which is only 10 kilometers (6 miles) away.

The violent end of Dos Pilas is clear from the broken pieces of a royal throne found in the Bat Palace. The entire Petexbatún region was taken over by warfare in the late 8th century AD. Eventually, almost all the settlements of the former Dos Pilas kingdom were abandoned. Some stone carvings at Ixlú in the central Petén lakes region look very similar to texts from Dos Pilas. This suggests that the lords of Ixlú might have been refugees from the collapse of the Petexbatún region.

A small group of refugees lived in Dos Pilas after it was abandoned. They quickly built defensive walls using stones taken from the deserted temples and palaces. These walls were built in circles, ignoring the old buildings. This small village was also taken over and abandoned in the early 9th century AD. This is when the history of Dos Pilas as a settlement ends.

The fall of Dos Pilas seems to have helped other sites in the region. Cities like Itzan, Cancuén, and Machaquila all became stronger around the time Dos Pilas fell.

Rediscovery and Exploration

The ruins of Dos Pilas were first reported in 1953–1954 by two brothers from Sayaxché, José and Lisandro Flores. However, local people probably already knew about them. Pierre Ivanoff led an expedition to the site in 1960. He described the ruins, which he called Dos Pozos (meaning two wells in Spanish), in his 1973 book Monuments of a Civilization: Maya. In this book, he claimed to have discovered the ruins.

Archaeologist Arthur Demarest from Vanderbilt University and Juan Antonio Valdés from the University of San Carlos of Guatemala began digging at Dos Pilas in 1989. Hieroglyphic Stairway 4 was found in 1990. A year later, the tomb of Itzamnaaj K'awiil was uncovered. The project continued until 1994. It was supported by the National Geographic Society, the Instituto de Antropología e Historia (IDAEH), Vanderbilt University, and other groups.

Exploring the Ancient City

Dos Pilas is a medium-sized site, covering about 1 square kilometer (0.4 square miles). It was built in an area with few earlier settlements. It is only 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the older site of Arroyo de Piedra. The site is not very well preserved. This is because people desperately took stones from the main buildings to build defensive walls just before the city was completely abandoned. The stone carvings at the site are written in the Ch'olan Maya language.

The city is arranged around three main building areas. These areas are lined up from east to west. This layout is similar to older Maya cities like El Mirador and Nakbe in northern Petén. The Main Group is the westernmost area, and the El Duende group is the easternmost.

Before the city was abandoned, a series of circular rubble walls were quickly built. These walls surrounded the Main Group and the El Duende Group. These quickly built defenses had wooden fences on top.

The Main Group

The Main Group was designed around a central plaza by B'alaj Chan K'awiil. Two large stone monuments, Stelae 1 and 2, are in the center of the plaza. Stela 1 shows Itzamnaaj K'awiil in fancy clothes and dates to 706 AD. It tells about the defeat of a Tikal lord. It also has the last known mention of Tikal found at Dos Pilas. Stela 2 is very damaged. It shows "Master of Sun Jaguar" defeating Yich'aak B'alam of Seibal. Buildings surround the plaza on all four sides. At least two of these buildings had stairs with hieroglyphic carvings. South of the main plaza are smaller, raised plazas with limited access. These are bordered by buildings with many rooms. Two more hieroglyphic stairways have been found here.

• L4-35 is a building on the west side of the plaza. At its base is Hieroglyphic Stairway 1. This stairway tells about events in the life of Itzamnaaj K'awiil.

Stela 5, showing a Jaguar Skin detail.

• LD-49 (also called L5-49) is a large pyramid south of the plaza. It has three temple sanctuaries on top. This pyramid is the biggest building in the city center. It rises about 20 meters (66 feet) above the plaza. The main stairway of this pyramid (Hieroglyphic Stairway 2) has at least eighteen steps with hieroglyphs. These carvings describe the arrival and life of B'alaj Chan K'awiil. In 2001–2002, eight new hieroglyphic steps were found. Their meaning completely changed how we understood the early history of the site. They showed the wider Maya politics involved in the break from Tikal. The steps you see there now are copies. This is because looters stole a part of Step 6 in January 2003. The original steps were moved to a safe place. On both sides of the stairway are Panel 6 and Panel 7, both with hieroglyphic carvings. The well-preserved Panel 10 is partway up the east side of the pyramid. Panel 10 was originally a stone monument at Arroyo de Piedra. It was moved here after Dos Pilas conquered that city.

• LD-25 is a temple pyramid built by K'awiil Chan K'inich. Hieroglyphic Stairway 3 is 120 meters (394 feet) south of the plaza's southeast corner. It is part of this building and describes some of this king's victories in 743 and 745 AD.

• Structure L5-1 is a ruined building on the east side of the plaza. It has a vaulted crypt (an underground burial chamber) 9 meters (30 feet) below its top. Inside, archaeologists found the remains of a person wearing a heavy jade necklace and bracelets. There were also fine painted pottery and almost 400 pieces of shell mosaic that once formed a headdress. Because Stela 8 is nearby, in front of this building, and tells about the life, death, and burial of King Itzamnaaj K'awiil, this tomb is thought to be his.

• The palace of B'alaj Chan K’awiil was torn down by the last people living in Dos Pilas. They used its stones to build defensive walls just before leaving the city. It is about 100 meters (328 feet) south of the plaza, behind Structure LD-49. Hieroglyphic Stairway 4 is on the east side of the destroyed palace. It was found when the defensive wall crossing it was being dug up. Hieroglyphic Stairway 4 tells the history of B'alaj Chan K’awiil and how the Dos Pilas royal family began.

• A ball court is at the northeast corner of the plaza. The buildings forming its sides are called L4-16 and L4-17. These buildings have badly worn Panel 11 and Panel 12. Both show a standing lord holding a spear.

The El Duende Group

The El Duende group is about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) east of the city center. Itzamnaaj K'awiil built this group after his victory over Tikal in 705 AD. El Duende is the largest pyramid in the city. It was built by making a natural hill larger and adding terraces. This makes it look like one huge structure. The terraces held five stone monuments and altar pairs. Itzamnaaj K'awiil ordered these in the early 8th century AD. During digs in 1991, a sinkhole near the western edge of the El Duende complex led to a 1.5 kilometer (0.9 mile) long cave. This cave goes directly under the temple. Archaeologists named it Cueva de Río El Duende (River Cave of El Duende). Many artifacts and human bones were found inside the cave. Smaller buildings are next to the main platform.

The Bat Palace

The Bat Palace (also called the Murciélagos Group, from murciélago, Spanish for "bat") is halfway between the city center and the El Duende group. It is 0.5 kilometers (0.3 miles) east of the main plaza and 0.5 kilometers (0.3 miles) west of the El Duende pyramid. The Bat Palace was the political center of Dos Pilas from 725 AD until the city was abandoned in 761 AD. Digs at the Bat Palace showed it was a special, private area for the elite, with religious meaning. A cave entrance came out inside the palace. It was marked by a shrine with offerings over the buried entrance. The Bat Palace is thought to have been the most important elite area of Dos Pilas during the reigns of the last two rulers. The entrance to the palace complex had two small stone temples on either side. These led to two courtyards. Stone buildings with roofs made of materials that would decay surrounded the courtyards. A broken royal throne was found in the Bat Palace. This is proof of the violent takeover of the city in the Late Classic period.

Stone Monuments

Stela 8 was placed in front of Structure L5-1. Its text describes the main events of King Itzamnaaj K'awiil's life. It also mentions his death and burial in 726 AD.

Caves Around Dos Pilas

Cave entrance near El Duende, showing the natural landscape.

During excavations, 22 caves were found very close to Dos Pilas. They total over 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) in length. There are five major caves: Cueva de El Duende, Cueva de Río El Duende, Cueva de Río Murciélagos, Cueva de Sangre, and Cueva de Kaxon Pec. Only these major caves were explored. Offerings found in these caves included a lot of Preclassic pottery. The strong signs of Preclassic use in the caves mean they were important long before the warlike Dos Pilas state was founded in the Late Classic period. All the main buildings at Dos Pilas are from the Late Classic. They are lined up with important cave systems. This shows that the city's builders included a thousand-year-old sacred landscape in their city's design.

On the hill that forms the base of the El Duende group, several stone monuments were set up. These have special symbols (toponym glyphs) that refer to places. One of these symbols refers to water. The cave contains an underground lake directly under the hill. This makes it likely that the symbol refers to this specific body of water. The fact that the El Duende group was originally named after this underground water source shows how important this cave was to the ancient people of Dos Pilas.

The entrance to the Cave of Bats (Cueva de Río Murciélagos) is 75 meters (246 feet) northwest of the Bat Palace. It is quite dry in the dry season. But after rain, water can pour out of the cave mouth at a rate of 8 cubic meters (282 cubic feet) per second. This creates enough noise to be heard in the main plaza, 500 meters (1,640 feet) away. The seasonal water flow has washed away almost all ancient remains from the cave. However, archaeologists believe the Cave of Bats was important for ceremonies. This is because of the dramatic torrent that flows through it in the wet season.

Studies of the various caves at Dos Pilas showed that all the larger caves were part of one drainage system. The Cave of Bats is the outlet for this system. This means it is connected to the Cueva de Río El Duende. A continuation of the Cave of Bats was found to come out inside the Bat Palace. There, it was marked by a shrine.

A plaza group sits directly over the main chamber of the Cueva de El Duende (not to be confused with the similarly named Cueva de Río El Duende). This cave is just southwest of the El Duende pyramid. A 2-meter (6.6-foot) deep midden (a trash heap) was found in this cave. It showed heavy use during the Preclassic and Classic periods. A pottery vessel with the earliest royal text found at Dos Pilas was discovered in this midden. A thick layer of sterile yellow clay covers much of the main chamber's floor. It seems to have been put there on purpose to cover the entrance to the cave's longest tunnel. This tunnel passes under the El Duende pyramid and connects with the Cueva de Río El Duende. In the cave's entrance, large amounts of rubble were found. Much of it was finely cut stone that had been taken from nearby buildings and used to block the cave entrance. James E. Brady believes that blocking this sacred cave was part of a special ritual. This ritual was done by the conquerors of Dos Pilas. They also blocked the entrances of the Cueva de Sangre (Cave of Blood) and possibly the western entrance of the Cueva de Río El Duende. This suggests that the caves were extremely important.

The Cueva de Sangre (Cave of Blood) is about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) east of the El Duende group. It has more than 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) of tunnels running under a small hill. The cave has four entrances. Two of them had been blocked with rubble, just like at Cueva de El Duende. The west entrance seems to have been the main one used by the ancient people of Dos Pilas. A small building was built above this entrance. Its purpose must have been linked to the use of the cave itself. A stone wall enclosed both the cave entrance and the building. Preclassic pottery fragments were found inside the Cueva de Sangre.

Images for kids

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  The Central Plaza of Dos Pilas.

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  Panel 10 from Dos Pilas was originally a stela from neighbouring Arroyo de Piedra that was moved to Dos Pilas and re-erected after Dos Pilas conquered that city.

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  The Mutal emblem glyph shared by Dos Pilas and Tikal.

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  Stela 5, Detail showing a Jaguar Skin.

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  Cave entrance near El Duende

See also

• List of Mesoamerican pyramids