Dos pilas

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Stele 5 in Dos Pilas

Dos Pilas is a pre-Columbian Maya city in what is now the Peten Department in Guatemala . It was founded in 629 as an outpost of Tikal (110 kilometers southwest). The king of Tikal put his brother Bajlaj Chan K'awiil (born October 15, 625) on the throne of the new city when he was only four years old and thus allied the two places.

About 20 years later Dos Pilas was captured by invaders from the enemy city of Calakmul and Bajlaj Chan K'awiil was forced to switch sides and now take Calakmul's side against Tikal - and his brother. For about ten years he waged war against Tikal and finally won on the side of the Calakmul troops. His brother - the defeated king of Tikal - was taken to Dos Pilas together with members of the upper class and cruelly executed by Bajlaj Chan K'awiil. In hieroglyphic , we read: "The blood was collected and the skulls of the people were piled up."

As a result of the campaigns of conquest, Dos Pilas developed into a regional power. Constant conflicts in this region led to a destabilization and around the year 695 Tikal defeated the now ally Calakmul. In 760 the city was abandoned.

List of rulers of Dos Pilas

See also

List of Mayan ruins

Web links

Commons : Dos Pilas  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Simon Martin / Nikolai Grube : Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens. Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya. Thames & Hudson, 2nd ed., London 2008, ISBN 978-0-500-28726-2 , pp. 54-67.

Coordinates: 16 ° 27 ′ 7 ″  N , 90 ° 16 ′ 9 ″  W.