A long @-@ running rivalry between Tikal and Calakmul began in the 6th century , with each of the two cities forming its own network of mutually hostile alliances arrayed against each other in what has been likened to a long @-@ running war between two Maya superpowers . The kings of these two capitals adopted the title kaloomte ' , a term that has not been precisely translated but that implies something akin to " high king " .