Women played a crucial role in Maya culture and began to hold power much earlier than previously thought by archaeologists.
Researchers working in Guatemala have unearthed a stela depicting a powerful woman in ancient Maya civilization. “The 2-meter tall stela features a portrait of a woman who may have been a leader or a goddess,” said Kathryn Reese-Taylor, a professor at the University of Calgary.
The stela dates back to the 4th century AD, which is 200 years earlier than previously discovered stelae depicting powerful Maya women.
“We have images of queens, independent rulers, or those who ruled alongside their husbands or sons, depicted on later stelae from the Maya history starting in the early 6th century. However, this newly discovered stela is completely unique in style and dates back to the 4th century BC,” Reese-Taylor explained. “It is distinctive in that it portrays a woman from the very early period of Maya history when new cities were being constructed and a new empire was being established.”
Archaeologists found the stela—typically used to commemorate events in the lives of kings—at Naachtun, located over 90 kilometers north of the more famous ancient city of Tikal.
It was buried within an ancient structure, and some of the inscriptions have been erased, indicating that the stela was destroyed during an invasion by Tikal’s forces in the late 5th century.
The name of the woman on the stela is translated as Lady Partition Lord. An infant was also buried alongside the stela.
Researchers do not believe that Maya culture followed a matriarchal system, but they do believe that women played an important role from the early stages of societal development.
M.T. (ABC Online)
