Yajaw Te' K'inich II

Yajaw Te' K'inich II
King of Caracol
Ruins at Caracol, city of Yajaw Te' K'inich II
Reign	AD 553-593>
Spouse	Lady 1 Lady Batz' Ek'
Issue	Knot Ajaw K'an II
Father	King K'an I
Mother	Lady K'al K'inich
Religion	Maya religion

Yajaw Te' K'inich II was a king of the Mayan state Caracol in Belize. He was also known as Ruler III, Lord Water and Lord Muluc and reigned AD 553-593>.

Yajaw Te' K'inich II was a son of the king K'an I. His mother was Lady K'al K'inich. He was named after his paternal grandfather, Yajaw Te' K'inich I, who was a son of K'ahk' Ujol K'inich I.

The reign of Yajaw Te' K'inich II was pivotal in Caracol history; it began in turmoil, as Caracol exchanged one overlord for another, and ended in prosperity, as the city began to grow into a true metropolis.

This ruler's own Stela 14 makes no mention of the fact that his accession took place under the auspices of Tikal; this is only known from Altar 21. Regrettably Altar 21 is now broken into fragments, and most of this key passage does not survive.

The fragmentary Stela 4, a text probably dating to 583, shows Caracol tied to Calakmul some two decades after the victory over Tikal, as an action of Yajaw Te' K'inich is said to have been supervised by the Calakmul ruler.

His wives were Lady 1 and Lady Batz' Ek' and his sons were Knot Ajaw and K'an II.