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It is possible that Teotihuacan's ability to intervene directly in the affairs of the Maya lowlands was of comparatively short duration. The logistics of maintaining control from the distant Central Mexican highlands must have been formidable. (Map.) And eventually, of course, Teotihuacan was preoccupied with problems of its own. The latest archaeomagnetic dating has set the fall of the city to as early as AD 550.

The name of Spearthrower Owl, the father of the Teotihuacan-installed ruler of Tikal, marking the headdress in the hand of his grandson, Siyaj Chan K'awiil, on Stela 31. Photo: Mark Van Stone.