In the mid 6th century , Caracol seems to have allied with Calakmul and defeated Tikal , closing the Early Classic . The " Tikal hiatus " refers to a period between the late 6th to late 7th century where it was a lapse in the writing of inscriptions and large @-@ scale construction at Tikal . In the latter half of the 6th century AD , a serious crisis befell the city , with no new stelae being erected and with widespread deliberate mutilation of public sculpture . This hiatus in activity at Tikal was long unexplained until later epigraphic decipherments identified that the period was prompted by Tikal 's comprehensive defeat at the hands of Calakmul and the Caracol polity in AD 562 , a defeat that seems to have resulted in the capture and sacrifice of the king of Tikal . The badly eroded Altar 21 at Caracol described how Tikal suffered this disastrous defeat in a major war in April 562 . It seems that Caracol was an ally of Calakmul in the wider conflict between that city and Tikal , with the defeat of Tikal having a lasting impact upon the city . Tikal was not sacked but its power and influence were broken . After its great victory , Caracol grew rapidly and some of Tikal 's population may have been forcibly relocated there . During the hiatus period , at least one ruler of Tikal took refuge with Janaab ' Pakal of Palenque , another of Calakmul 's victims . Calakmul itself thrived during Tikal 's long hiatus period .