city state · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean
Dos Pilas
Origins
Dos Pilas was founded around 629 as an outpost of Tikal, and B'ajlaj Chan K'awiil, a member of the Tikal royal family, was installed there as its ruler, using the same emblem glyph. Defeated by the Kingdom of Kaan, he became its ally and fought a long civil war against Tikal, defeating it in 679.
Rule and society
His successors expanded the kingdom across the Petexbatún and Pasión region, conquering Ceibal in 735 and building hieroglyphic stairways recording their wars. Royal marriage linked the dynasty to Naranjo through Lady Six Sky. Under K'awiil Chan K'inich the kingdom overreached and in 761 it was defeated; the capital was ringed with hastily built walls.
Decline and legacy
After 761 the royal family moved to the fortified twin capital of Aguateca, which was burnt and abandoned around 810. The Petexbatún wars are a key example of the warfare that accompanied the Classic Maya collapse.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Dos Pilas was a vassal of Kingdom of Kaan650 CE – 695 CE
- Ceibal was conquered by Dos Pilas735 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Dos Pilas. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dos-pilas
- MLA
- “Dos Pilas.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dos-pilas. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Dos Pilas.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dos-pilas.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Dos Pilas’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dos-pilas (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻