Ha' K'in Xook

Haʼ Kʼin Xook , also known as Ruler 6, was an ajaw of Piedras Negras, an ancient Maya settlement in Guatemala. He ruled during the Late Classic Period, from 767 to 780 AD. Haʼ Kʼin Xook was a son of Itzam Kʼan Ahk II, and he ascended the throne following the death of his brother, Yoʼnal Ahk III. Haʼ Kʼin Xook's reign ended with either his death or his abdication in favor of his brother Kʼinich Yat Ahk II; archaeologists and Mayanists have not arrived at a clear consensus. Haʼ Kʼin Xook left behind several monuments, including stelae at Piedras Negras and a stone fragment from El Porvenir. In addition, a stone seat known as Throne 1 and erected by Kʼinich Yat Ahk II records either the death or abdication of Haʼ Kʼin Xook.

Biography

Reign of Piedras Negras

Throne 1 of Piedras Negras, which details the transfer of power from Haʼ Kʼin Xook to his successor Kʼinich Yat Ahk II.

Haʼ Kʼin Xook, who has also been referred to as Ruler 6, was likely the son of Itzam Kʼan Ahk II, based on a translation of Stela 23. According to both Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube, as well as Scott Johnson, Haʼ Kʼin Xook's name translates to "Water Sun Shark". He ascended the throne on February 14, 767 AD (9.16.16.0.4, 7 Kʼan 17 Pop in the Long Count), The Mayanist Tatiana Proskouriakoff had initially overlooked Haʼ Kʼin Xook's reign, as she mistakenly assigned the title Ruler 6 to a sajal (or lesser Maya leader) of La Mar, based on a misreading of Stela 16. James L. Fitzsimmons argues that, politically, Haʼ Kʼin Xook was a weak leader, who like Yoʼnal Ahk III before him erected only a handful of monuments and did not enforce his power beyond the existing Piedras Negras hegemony. According to the stone monuments that he did raise, Haʼ Kʼin Xook's reign was comparatively quiet, as the only notable event recorded was the burial of a contemporary sajal at San Ignacio, Belize (El Cayo).

Death or abdication

Haʼ Kʼin Xook's reign ended on March 24, 780 AD (9.17.9.5.11 10 Chuwen 19 Sip), which American Mayanist Stephen D. Houston interprets to mean that he abdicated so that his brother, Kʼinich Yat Ahk II, could take the throne.

However, yaktaaj ajawlel is the same wording found on a monument, Zoomorph G, at Quiriguá, Guatemala, which details the death of the ajaw Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Yopaat in AD 785. This is possible evidence that, rather than abdicating, Haʼ Kʼin Xook died in 780 AD, and Kʼinich Yat Ahk II took up rule later.

Regardless, Kʼinich Yat Ahk II took up the throne on May 31, 781 AD (9.17.10.9.4 1 Kʼan 7 Yaxkʼin), almost a year after Haʼ Kʼin Xook's reign officially ended. Despite this lengthy gap, there is no evidence that anyone ruled Piedras Negras in the interim. This stela details a puluuy utzʼitil ("passing of the torch") ceremony for Itzam Kʼan Ahk II, It depicts the king dispersing incense, Clancy argues that this headdress is a representation of "the royal theme of quest", due to its iconographic similarity to other stelae at Piedras Negras.

Not much remains of the king's final monument, Stela 18, which was raised in AD 775. The stela is heavily eroded, but archaeologist Sylvanus Morley claimed that it expressed a Calendar Round date of 6 Ahaw 13 Kʼayab (corresponding to a Long Count date of 9.17.5.0.0 or Dec. 27, 775), which is within Haʼ Kʼin Xook's reign. Pyramid O-13 was most likely the burial place for Itzam Kʼan Ahk II, and was revered by Haʼ Kʼin Xook, Yoʼnal Ahk III, and Kʼinich Yat Ahk II as "a dynastic shrine". Stela 23, unlike the others, was erected at the very base of Pyramid O-12.