Tzekel-Kan

"Behold! As the prophecies foretold, the time of judgment is now!""

- Tzekel-Kan announcing Miguel and Tulio's arrival.

Tzekel-Kan is the hidden main antagonist of the 2000 movie The Road to El Dorado.

Personality
While charismatic, commanding, influential and a bit unctuous, Tzekel-Kan is power-hungry, sadistic, bloodthirsty, scheming, manipulative and even psychotic. He has an extreme fondness for Ollamalitzli, the Meso-American ball game played by Tulio and Miguel.

Overview
Tzekel-Kan is the High Priest of El Dorado. When he first appears in the movie, he greets Tulio and Miguel, who are taken by the natives for gods, fulfilling a long-standing prophecy of their visit, eager to please them. In truth, he hopes that the 'gods' will bring him to a more powerful position, unofficially making him the city's ruler instead of chief Tannabak. He and the chief have a silent resentment to each other, and both compete for the "gods'" favor. Tzekel Kan expects the gods will purge the city of all evildoers, selected by him, as he enjoys human sacrifice. He is confused to see the two of them acting perfectly friendly to the common people. At one point, Tzekel-Kan tries to urge them to allow human sacrifice, only to get fired by Miguel, who claims the 'gods' will speak for themselves. Unfortunately, Tzekel-Kan notices a cut on Miguel's forehead. Since gods do not bleed, he realizes that Miguel and Tulio are indeed mortals, and plots to destroy them by bringing a massive stone jaguar to life, sacrificing his servant to complete the ritual, leading up to the climax. Miguel and Tulio manage to defeat him, and he is lost in the river, washing up outside El Dorado, where he runs into Cortes. Believing Cortes and his soldiers to be the true gods, a vengeful Tzekel-Kan teams up with Cortes to capture the citizens of El Dorado. Unfortunately, Miguel and Tulio manage to block the entrance to El Dorado. Finding only a wall where the city should be, Cortes dismisses Tzekel-Kan as a lying heathen, and orders him put in chains. Tzekel-Kan is dragged off by the laughing Spanish soldiers, presumably to be sold as a slave.