Jasaw Chan K'awiil I

Maya · mortal · classic · mortal

Tikal spent most of the seventh century losing to Calakmul, and Jasaw is the king who reversed it. The great temples that everyone photographs at Tikal are his and his son's, built out of that victory; the reversal is the reason there is a Late Classic Tikal to look at. In a registry that until now carried no Maya ruler of any city, he is arguably the first one you would want.