Kan Ek'

Who is Kan Ek'?

Kan Ek' was the name or title used by the Itza Maya kings at their island capital Nojpetén upon Lake Petén Itzá in the Petén Department of Guatemala. The full title was Aj Kan Ek' or Ajaw Kan Ek', and in some studies Kan Ek' is used as the name of the Late Postclassic Petén Itza polity.

The earliest known use of the title comes from a Maya stela at the archaeological site of Yaxchilan and dates to the mid 8th century AD. The name is recorded in inscriptions at widely spaced Maya cities including Seibal, Motul de San José and Chichen Itza. When Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés crossed Petén in the early 16th century, he met with an Itza king identified by the name Kan Ek'. The Itza were not contacted again until the early 17th century when Franciscan friars were initially welcomed by the current Aj Kan Ek' before being expelled. This was followed by several incidents in which attempts to interact with the Itza resulted in the slaughter of the Spanish and their Maya converts, resulting in a long lull before attempts were resumed with a new Kan Ek' in the closing years of the 17th century. These culminated in a bloody battle, after which the last Kan Ek' was captured; he spent the rest of his life under arrest in the colonial capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala.