K'awiil Family
Known for generations as simply “God K”, Kawiil (or K’awil) is the name given to the Maya god of generations and royal lineage bloodlines – the principal deity of the Maya royal lines. K’awil, in Maya art, is usually recognizable by a large “god eye”, a bright mirror device on his forehead from which juts a tube emitting smoke or an axe-blade and by one leg that ends not with a foot, but with a bearded serpent with open jaws. Most would recognize him from artistic renditions of displays of power – he is depicted within those as the Mannikin Sceptor god and his shown grasped in the hand of the ruler. A possible alternative name for K’awil is that of Bolon Tz’akab – a name found within Landa’s Relacion. There are also several variations of K’awil that one might see such as K’awil-la or K’awil-li – both of which refer directly to K’awil.

As with K’inich (see Kinich family page for more information), several kings affixed K’awil to their name such as K’awiil Chan K’inich from Dos Pilas, K’inich Joy K’awiil from Caracol and Siyaj Chan K’awiil II from Tikal – just to name a few. There is at least one royal lady that included K’awil within her name as well – Ix K’awiil Chan from Tonina. At Palenque K’awil was included as one of the three children of the Palenque Triad – K’inich Kan B’alam II (also known as Chan Bahlum II) included him within inscriptions on the Temple of the Cross that details the actions of the Palenque Triad in the Maya story of the beginning of the current world.