In the 5th century the power of the city reached as far south as Copán , whose founder K 'inich Yax K 'uk ' Mo ' was clearly connected with Tikal . Copán itself was not in an ethnically Maya region and the founding of the Copán dynasty probably involved the direct intervention of Tikal . K 'inich Yax K 'uk ' Mo ' arrived in Copán in December 426 and bone analysis of his remains shows that he passed his childhood and youth at Tikal . An individual known as Ajaw K 'uk ' Mo ' ( lord K 'uk ' Mo ' ) is referred to in an early text at Tikal and may well be the same person . His tomb had Teotihuacan characteristics and he was depicted in later portraits dressed in the warrior garb of Teotihuacan . Hieroglyphic texts refer to him as " Lord of the West " , much like Siyah K ’ ak ’ . At the same time , in late 426 , Copán founded the nearby site of Quiriguá , possibly sponsored by Tikal itself . The founding of these two centers may have been part of an effort to impose Tikal 's authority upon the southeastern portion of the Maya region . The interaction between these sites and Tikal was intense over the next three centuries .