Itzam Kʼan Ahk I reign was one marked by war and acts of aggression. Thanks to carvings on Stelae 35 and 37, it is known that he undertook two victorious military campaigns: one in AD 662 against Santa Elena (in which he may have captured either a "high-ranking girl" or a young man), and another in AD 669 against a Maya polity whose name is now lost. Further evidence of Itzam Kʼan Ahk I's military strength is suggested by Panel 2, which depicts an "ajaw" of Piedras Negras surrounded by leaders from nearby polities, like Bonampak, Lacanha, and Piedras Negras's perennial rival Yaxchilan. While it is likely that the "ajaw" depicted in this scene is Yat Ahk I (who ruled Piedras Negras well before Itzam Kʼan Ahk I's time), Mayanists Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube argue that Itzam Kʼan Ahk I might have carved the panel to emphasize similarities between him and his predecessor, namely their similar level of political prowess. The two scholars also note that Yaxchilan seems to have been in a bit of a dark age during Itzam Kʼan Ahk I's reign, lending more evidence to the idea that it was under Piedras Negras's control.