Editing Copán (section)

===K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' and K'inich Popol Hol===
[[File:Yax Kuk Mo.jpg|thumb|left|Ceramic lid shaped to represent K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo', recovered from the tomb of the 7th-century king Smoke Imix, under Temple&nbsp;26<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 202">{{harvnb|Martin|Grube|2000|p=202}}.</ref>]]
The city was refounded by [[K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo']], establishing it as the capital of a new Maya kingdom.<ref name="Sharer & Traxler 2006, p. 339"/> This coup was apparently organized and launched from Tikal. Texts record the arrival of a warrior named K'uk' Mo' Ajaw who was installed upon the throne of the city in AD&nbsp;426 and given a new royal name, K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' and the ''ochk'in kaloomte'' "Lord of the West" title used a generation earlier by [[Siyaj K'ak']], a general from the great metropolis of [[Teotihuacan]] who had decisively intervened in the politics of the central Petén.{{sfn|Sharer|Traxler|2006|pp=322, 333–338}} K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' was probably from Tikal and was likely to have been sponsored by Siyaj Chan K'awill&nbsp;II, the 16th&nbsp;ruler in the dynastic succession of Tikal. K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' may have legitimized his claim to rulership by marrying into the old Copán royal family, evidenced from the remains of his presumed widow. Bone analysis of her remains indicates that she was local to Copán.<ref>{{harvnb|Martin|Grube|2000|p=196}}; {{harvnb|Sharer|Traxler|2006|p=338}}.</ref> After the establishment of the new kingdom of Copán, the city remained closely allied with Tikal.{{sfn|Sharer|Traxler|2006|p=338}} The hieroglyphic text on [[Copán Altar Q]] describes the lord being elevated to kingship with the receipt of his royal scepter. The ceremonies involved in the founding of the Copán dynasty also included the installation of a subordinate king at [[Quiriguá]].{{sfn|Martin|Grube|2000|p=192}}

A text from Tikal mentions K'uk' Mo' and has been dated to AD&nbsp;406, 20 years before K'uk' Mo' Ajaw founded the new dynasty at Copán. Both names are likely to refer to the same individual originally from Tikal. Although none of the hieroglyphic texts that mention the founding of the new Copán dynasty describe how K'uk' Mo' arrived at the city, indirect evidence suggests that he conquered the city by military means. On Altar&nbsp;Q he is depicted as a Teotihuacano warrior with goggle eyes and a war serpent shield.{{sfn|Sharer|Traxler|2006|pp=338, 341–342}} When he arrived at Copán he initiated the construction of various structures, including one temple in the [[talud-tablero]] style typical of Teotihuacan and another with inset corners and apron moldings that are characteristic of Tikal. These strong links with both the Maya and Central Mexican cultures suggest that he was at least a Mexicanized Maya or possibly even from Teotihuacan.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 193"/> The dynasty founded by king K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' ruled the city for four centuries and included sixteen kings plus a probable pretender who would have been seventeenth in line. Several monuments have survived that were dedicated by K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' and by his heir.<ref name="Sharer & Traxler 2006, p. 342">{{harvnb|Sharer|Traxler|2006|p=342}}.</ref>

K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' died between AD&nbsp;435 and AD&nbsp;437. In 1995 a tomb underneath the talud-tablero Hunal temple was discovered by a team of archaeologists led by [[Robert Sharer]] and David Sedat. The tomb contained the skeleton of an elderly man with rich offerings and evidence of battle wounds. The remains have been identified as those of K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' due to their location underneath a sequence of seven buildings erected in his honor. Bone analysis has identified the remains as being those of someone foreign to Copán.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 193"/>

[[File:Copán Stela 63.jpg|thumb|right|Stela 63, probably dating to the reign of K'inich Popol Hol{{sfn|Sharer|Sedat|2005|pp=174–175}}]]
K'inich Popol Hol inherited the throne of Copán from K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo', who was his father. He undertook major construction projects with the redesign of the core of Copán. Popol Hol is not the original name of this king but rather a nickname based on the appearance of his Teotihuacan-linked name glyph.<ref name="Martin & Grube 2000, p. 194">{{harvnb|Martin|Grube|2000|p=194}}.</ref> K'inich Popol Hol oversaw the construction of the first version of the [[Mesoamerican ballcourt]] at the city, which was decorated with images of the [[scarlet macaw]], a bird that features prominently in [[Maya mythology]]. His greatest construction activity was in the area of his father's palace, now underlying Structure 10L-16, which he demolished after entombing his father there. He then built three successive buildings on top of the tomb in rapid succession.{{sfn|Martin|Grube|2000|p=195}}