 Although the new rulers of <unk> were foreign , their descendants were rapidly <unk> . <unk> became the key ally and trading partner of <unk> in the Maya lowlands . After being conquered by <unk> , <unk> rapidly dominated the northern and eastern <unk> . <unk> , together with smaller towns in the region , were absorbed into <unk> 's kingdom . Other sites , such as <unk> and <unk> de San José near Lake <unk> <unk> became vassals of their more powerful neighbor to the north . By the middle of the 5th century <unk> had a core territory of at least 25 kilometres ( 16 mi ) in every direction . 
