Women Rulers
Although the Maya preferred rulership to pass to sons and not daughters, the eighth ruler of Palenque was a woman. Her name was Yohl Ik'nal and she ruled for twenty years. She was most likely the sister or daughter of the previous ruler, Kan B'ahlam I.
El Perú (also known as Waka') is a site in northwestern Guatemala. At this site, archaeologists have discovered the almost untouched burial tomb of a Maya queen which dates to approximately 800AD. The queen’s skull and leg bone are missing, and were possibly removed to be used as relics. Though her name, lineage, and cause of death are not known, it is believed that the queen was between 30 and 45 at her death. Inside the tomb archaeologists found more than 1,600 artifacts, including a plated helmet with jade plaques, and a small jade carving of a deity in profile, which were worn by Maya royalty. Stingray spines, which were commonly used for ritual bloodletting, were also found, placed upon the queen’s pelvis in the tomb. According to David Freidel of Southern Methodist University, the placement of the spines may served to represent the queen as both male and female.
Read more about this topic: Women In Maya Society
Famous quotes containing the words women and/or rulers:
“I do not know if you remember the tale of the girl who saves the ship under mutiny by sitting on the powder barrel with her lighted torch ... and all the time knowing that it is empty? This has seemed to me a charming image of the women of my time. There they were, keeping the world in order ... by sitting on the mystery of life, and knowing themselves that there was no mystery.”
—Isak Dinesen [Karen Blixen] (1885–1962)
“The rulers of the state are the only persons who ought to have the privilege of lying, either at home or abroad; they may be allowed to lie for the good of the state.”
—Plato (c. 427–347 B.C.)