Traces of ritual
The early hostilities between Naachtun and Tikal were almost certainly the result of power struggles with Calakmul, Tikal's bitter enemy. Earlier on it seems probable that Naachtun had been in Calakmul's sphere of influence. Yet during the early fifth century, Tikal went on the offensive against Calakmul, and pushed northwards in a series of campaigns aimed at enlarging and consolidating its northern frontier.
'The final passage dates to 711, and describes the funerary rite of an important woman.'
However, during the late sixth and early seventh centuries, Tikal suffered a series of defeats at the hands of Calakmul and its allies. Consequently Naachtun was forced to switch allegiance back to the nearer neighbour, and a hieroglyphic block from Structure 4 at Calakmul includes a reference to the Masuul kingdom from about this period.
In the late seventh and early eighth centuries, Naachtun's loyalties changed again. Tikal resurged, defeating Calakmul's armies in 695. Indeed, the next reference we have to the Masuul kingdom is on Tikal Altar 5, which records a series of events beginning in 692 and involving the king of Masuul and the king of Tikal. The final passage dates to 711, and describes the funerary rite of an important woman - a rite overseen by both kings. Details of this ceremony are depicted on the face of Altar 5, where both kings are captured in the act re-interring the bones of the deceased in a prominent area of Tikal. This type of ritual re-interment of a deceased individual is very rare and, in this instance, signals the significant role that this woman played in the political relationship between Tikal and Naachtun. Such personal interaction strongly implies that the two kings were each related to the deceased woman, and hence to one another.
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