Question for February 2020

Yes, although there were considerably fewer “Ladies” or queens (approximately 25-30 are known) as compared to hundreds of kings among the Maya, and unfortunately they are not nearly as likely to be represented in the archaeological record. However, there are some very interesting examples, a few of which I will describe.

Lady K’abel of El Peru-Waká, Guatemala (pic 1). Lady K’abel ruled El Peru-Waka for at least twenty years with her husband K’inich Bahlam (672-692). She was a military governor from another kingdom and moved to El Peru to marry her husband. Usually, women came from powerful kingdoms that had defeated a city and brought her to marry their ruler to cement a new relationship. Interestingly, her title “Kaloomte’” (or Supreme Warrior) meant that she was more powerful than her husband the king. In fact, we believe that she was the most powerful woman we know about in this part of the world during the seventh century. She is shown on several of the carved monuments at El Perú-Waka’, including El Peru Stela 34, which was looted from El Perú-Waka’ in the sixties and is in the Cleveland Art Museum. Her husband, K’inich Bahlam II is shown on El Peru Stela 33 which is in the Kimbell Art Museum in Dallas.

Pic 1: El Peru Stelae 33 (left) and 34 (right), portraying K’inich Bahlam II and Lady K’abel