Throughout the central part of Central America sat these great cities built by one of the greatest American civilizations. These people dared taming the vindictive tropical forests within which they would create history. In a place such as this one, alliances were key to survival. Not only for the particular destinies of kings but more importantly, for an entire civilization.
In the center of the storm in this essay, is the Snake Kingdom in Mexico, Calakmul; the once great city of Naranjo, in Guatemala and the massive Caracol, in Belize.
Calakmul, The Snake Kingdom, Mexico
To recollect Simon Martin and Nicolai Grube, two elite epigraphers who have been reading all the writings on the walls of ancient Maya history, these “kingdoms fortunes were always shaped by its performance in war”.
In May and August of AD626, King K’uxaj of Naranjo suffered crushing defeats to the hands of Lord Kan II of Caracol. The most devastating defeat came in a third melee, which epigraphers called a “star wars” event which saw, not Caracol but Calakmul’s forces destroying Naranjo. It is to be noted that Caracol’s and Calakmul’s relationship was more than political, it included bloodlines.
The Water Lily Jaguar (monster), Caracol, Belize
Interestingly, the story of the paragraph above was found at Naranjo on a hieroglyphic stairway that was found in the center of the ancient city of Naranjo. The strangest thing was that it was a piece of history that was commissioned by one of Caracol’s premiere kings, Kan II.
Wait, how could that be? What was it doing in Naranjo?
Here’s another interesting part of this story, one of the blocks of this hieroglyphic stairway was found by an archaeologist Ian Graham at a small city (in Guatemala), Ucanal. So, somehow another player has emerged in the non-forgiving jungle. The image of this player’s king is then found carved into an altar (altar 23) tied up along with another king from the site or Bital on their way to sacrifice perhaps for their participation in the devastation of Caracol by the larger city of Naranjo in AD680.
Naranjo, Guatemala
The hieroglyphic stairway text reads that Naranjo’s 37th ruler, K’akh Skull Chan Chaak attacked and devastated Caracol in 680AD.
The story continues that this king of Naranjo could not locate the king of Caracol at the time, as he was visiting another city nearby, hence the only prize the Naranjo king could take was the hieroglyphic stairway. This stairway eventually tells the story of Calakmul’s king coming to Naranjo and after seeing the stairway, which they knew was commissioned by the king of Caracol, enraged, they “took out” the entire dynastic line at that time, leaving Naranjo paralysed and left for dead. The rumblings this had in the land was like a right hook that floored opponents coming from the strike of the once great Mike Tyson.
Temple B18, Caraco, Belize
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and blood, is thicker than water.