Wuqu-Batzʼ was an Ahpo Sotzʼil (ruler) of Iximche, capital of the Late Postclassic Kaqchikel Maya kingdom.

Wuqu-Batzʼ
Wuqu-Batzʼ
Ahpo Sotzʼil of Iximche
Temple 2
Temple 2 had three construction phases dating, from oldest to newest, from the reigns of Wuqu-Batzʼ, Oxlahuh Tzʼiʼ and Hun-Iqʼ.
SuccessorOxlahuh-Tzʼiʼ
Spouse(s)unknown queen
IssueOxlahuh-Tzʼiʼ
Fatherunknown
Motherunknown

Biography

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Hun-Toh and Wuqu-Batzʼ served the great Kʼicheʼ king Kʼiqʼab with such loyalty that he rewarded them with the royal titles Ahpo Sotzʼil and Ahpo Xahil and the power to rule.[1] The sons of Kʼiqʼab became jealous and led a revolt against their father that seriously damaged his authority.[1]

After one incident with a woman and the Kʼicheʼ soldier, the Kaqchikel demanded the execution of the soldier while the Kʼicheʼ nobility demanded the punishment of the bread seller. When the Kaqchikel lords refused to hand her over, the Kʼicheʼ lords sentenced Hun-Toh and Wuqu-Batzʼ to death against the wishes of Kʼiqʼab.[1]

Kʼiqʼab warned his Kaqchikel friends and advised them to flee Qʼumarkaj. The four lords of the Kaqchikel - Wuqu-Batzʼ, Hun-Toh, Chuluk and Xitamel-Keh - led their people out of the Kʼicheʼ capital to found their own capital at Iximche. The exact year of this event is not known with certainty.

The successor of Wuqu-Batzʼ was his son Oxlahuh-Tzʼiʼ, father of Hun-Iqʼ.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Schele & Mathews 1999, p. 296.

Bibliography

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  • Schele, Linda; Mathews, Peter (1999). The code of kings : the language of seven sacred Maya temples and tombs. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-85209-8. OCLC 41423034.