Kʼahkʼ Ujol Kʼinich II facts for kids

Kʼahkʼ Ujol Kʼinich II was an important king of Caracol, an ancient Maya city-state located in what is now Belize. His name means "Fire-headed Sun God". He was also known as Ruler VI or Smoking Skull II. He ruled from 658 AD to 680 AD.

Life of a Maya King

Becoming King

Kʼahkʼ Ujol Kʼinich II became king when the previous ruler, Kʼan II, was still alive. This was a bit unusual for the Maya people. Kʼan II was 70 years old and likely not in good health. Kʼahkʼ Ujol Kʼinich II's rule started 29 days before Kʼan II passed away. It is not known for sure if Kʼahkʼ Ujol Kʼinich II was Kʼan II's son.

Facing Attacks

During his rule, Caracol faced a surprise attack. A special ancient writing, called a stucco text, found on a building called Structure B-16-sub, tells us about a "star war" attack. This was a type of war where one city-state attacked the capital city of another. In this case, the 37th Ruler of Naranjo attacked Oxwitzaʼ, which was the capital city of Caracol.

The text says that Kʼahkʼ Ujol Kʼinich II had to leave Oxwitzaʼ, probably to find a safe place. About sixty days later, he "arrived" back at Oxwitzaʼ. We think he might have hidden at a place called La Rejolla, which was an outlying site of Caracol. His only known stela (a carved stone monument) was found there.

Historians believe that the rest of the stucco text, if fully recovered, would likely describe a great victory for Caracol after this attack.