Ukit Took was the last Ajaw of Copán. He ascended the throne on 6 February 822.[1] He commissioned Altar L in the style of Altar Q, but the monument was never finished — one face shows the enthronement of the king and a second face was started but two others were completely blank. The long line of kings at the once great city had come to an end.[2] Before the end, even the nobility had been struck by disease, perhaps because epidemics among the malnourished masses spread to the elite. With the end of political authority at Copán, the population fell to a fraction of what it had been at its height. The collapse of the city-state, which is believed to have occurred sometime between 822 and 830 AD, was sudden.[3]

Ukit Took
Ajaw of Copán
Reign6 February 822 - c.830[citation needed]
PredecessorYax Pasaj Chan Yopaat
SuccessorCity-state abolished
BornCopán
Diedc.837?
Copán
FatherYax Pasaj Chan Yopaat
ReligionMaya religion

Notes edit

  1. ^ Martin & Grube 2000, p. 213.
  2. ^ Martin & Grube 2000, p. 212.
  3. ^ Snow 2010, p. 168.

References edit

  • Martin, Simon; Nikolai Grube (2000). Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya. London and New York: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05103-8. OCLC 47358325.
  • Snow, Dean R. (2010). Archaeology of Native North America. New York: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-615686-4. OCLC 223933566.