MAYA WOMEN OF POWER — HOLY SNAKE LORD LADY K'ABEL, SUPREME WARLORD, PART 2

 

Rendition of Stela 44 Honoring Lady K'abel at Her Burial Site

Until fifteen years ago, Maya warrior queens were not the stuff of conversation much less legend in archeological circles. The idea was too far-fetched. The Maya hieroglyphic code had only been broken a few decades earlier in the 1970s at the famous Palenque Round Table talks in southern Mexico. Dozens of the world's finest archeologists and scholars gathered at the great site to put their heads together and try to break the problematic code. Besides that, hundreds of Maya sites had yet to be excavated. And no one had a clue as to how many sites were still undiscovered.

But in 2004, everything changed. Archelogist Kathryn Reese-Taylor, University of Calgary, headed a dig at a relatively unknown site, Naachtun. Sitting between powerful Tikal and Calakmul in the Yucatán lowlands of southern Mexico and northern Guatemala, Reese-Taylor and her team spent three months excavating the area. Their search proved fruitful and uncovered Lady Yohl Ik'nal, the Maya's first recorded female ruler, in 623 AD. (See Maya Warrior Queens Part 1, October 1 blog).

Maya queens rose to power after a seismic geo-political shift occurred in the mid seventh century. Power was moving into the area of the central lowlands and its vast forests in the middle of the Yucatán Peninsula.

Stela 34, Lady K'abel found in El Perú-Waka' 

ENTER LADY K'ABEL

In 2012 archeologists discovered the royal tomb of Lady K'abel, queen of the abandoned city El Perú-Waka', located in northern Guatemala between powerhouses Calakmul and Tikal. Known as the Centipede Kingdom, it played second fiddle to Calakmul, Snake Kingdom, that sat to the northeast. In a political power play, Lady K'abel, daughter of the ruler of Calakmul, was married to Tikal's ruler Kinich Balam II to serve as governor of El Perú-Waka' on her father's behalf. Archeologist Olivia Farr-Navarro (College of Wooster), a leader on the team, said they excavated the royal burial site located beneath a stairway platform located at the foot of the main Maya pyramid temple on site.

Archeologist Olivia Farr-Navarro at El Perú-Waka'site during excavation

STELA SHEDS LIGHT ON LADY K'ABEL

Until this discovery, scholars had known Lady K'abel as the Kaloomte', a Maya high king or queen who is military leader, the highest power in the kingdom. But Lady K'abel was hardly anonymous to those who studied the Maya. She had previously been identified by a stela (large limestone slab placed in front of a pyramid with hieroglyphic writing) that is on display at the Cleveland Art Museum, known as Stela 34 of El Perú. In it she is shown as a queen in warrior dress.

Investigation of this platform started before 2006 when Farr-Navrro studied under archeologist and author David Freidel, Washington University in St. Louis, and co-director of the site with Guatemala's Juan Carlos Pérez. El Perú-Waka' was being excavated by Freidel's team and planned to not simply uncover tombs but to focus on studying "ritually-charged" features such as shrines, altars, and dedicatory offerings.

CENTER OF RITUALS AND SACRIFICES

The city had long been a center of ritualistic activity and sacrifice, and signs implied it retained that significant presence long into the post-collapse era of the Maya after 900 AD when kings no longer ruled.

"The platform is the central focus point of the plaza in front of the largest temple at the site," said Farr-Navarro about El Perú-Waka'.  It was in a position of power.

Carved conch with woman's face emerging

As they dug at the foot of the staircase, long overshadowed by the platform, they found the entombed bones of a woman, surrounded by jade, fine pottery, and other signs of royalty. Most remarkable was a small alabaster jar carved to resemble a conch with a woman's face emerging from the shell as a stopper. The hieroglyphs for Lady K'abel's name were on the bottom.

WHITE SOUL FLOWER JAR DISCOVERED

The vessel, says Farr-Navarro, was most likely the "white soul flower" jar of Lady K'abel. Painted with red cinnabar, in ancient Maya mythology the flower jar essentially contained the soul of Lady K'abel. Though items can be moved around as a sign of veneration in burials, the white soul flower jar is an inalienable item that "could not be removed from her person," Farr-Navarro claims.

Clocking in to agree with Farr-Navarro's premise is archeologist Traci Ardren, from University of Miami, FL, and author of Ancient Maya Women. Though not part of the excavation, Ardren stated, "I'm completely convinced this was her tomb. The alabaster jar is really strong evidence."

The tomb site had been under study for almost a decade. Freidel and colleagues found artifacts suggesting a high-ranking female personage had been buried there, and Lady K'abel was the number one candidate. But it took the alabaster jar, small enough to fit in a queen's hand, to clinch the case. Carved to look like a shell, with head and arm of an aged woman emerging from the opening, four Maya hieroglyphs carved into the jar referred to the owner: Lady Snake Lord and Lady Waterlily Hand, two titles associated with Lady K'abel. Other artifacts found in the tomb suggest the person buried there was held in great reverence—red cinnabar pigment was used by the Maya in royal burial chambers and again, the white soul flower vessel, thought to hold one's soul, is specified in several Maya religious texts.

THE MAYA REVERED POWERFUL WOMEN

This find underscored the powerful role women played in the Maya world. At least eight women attained the Kaloomte' title held by Lady K'abel, Ardren said. Queens ruled at various times across the Maya world with standardized symbols for their titles. Though they may have been uncommon, they were not rare. And veneration of a powerful woman's tomb centuries after her death would not be so unusual. 

Alabaster jar on site with inscriptions of Lady K'abel

"She was married off for the greater good of the alliance between two cities. She left everyone and everything she'd known to travel to another city at a time of warfare."

A plate found on the left side of Lady K'abel's skeleton resembles a shield that would befit a warrior queen, Farr-Navarro explained. "Although it wasn't likely she'd fought in the rain forest battles that marked her reign, she was certainly not a shrinking violet."

Professor Freidel summed up the prime positioning of Lady Ka'bel's tomb: "In retrospect, it makes sense that the people of Waka' buried her in this particularly prominent place in their city. Archeologists now understand the likely reason why the temple wa so revered: K'abel was buried there."

LADY K'ABEL CONSIDERED GREATEST RULER OF LATE CLASSIC PERIOD

"Lady K'abel was considered the greatest ruler of the Late Classic period, and ruled with her husband, King K'inich Bahlam II for at least 20 years, from 672-692 AD," said Freidel. "She was the military governor of the Waka' kingdom for her family, the imperial house of the Snake King, and she carried the title Kaloomte' which translated to Supreme Warrior, higher even in authority than her husband, the king.

Figurine at El Perú site thought to be Lady K'abel

"She was not only a queen, but a supreme warlord, the most powerful person in the kingdom during her lifetime. That would put her in the same class as other ruling women of the ancient world, ranging from the biblical Queen of Sheba to Cleopatra."

After Lady K'abel's reign, Tikal's ruler continued their war against Waka' and Calakmul. By the middle of the eighth century, Tikal bested their rivals in the Maya superpower struggle. But by the middle of the ninth century, the Classic Maya civilization was on the way to its mysterious collapse.

In spite of that, even long afterwards, the lady's tomb remained a place of ritual, reverence, and pilgrimage for the Maya, apparently serving as a monument to a take-charge woman warrior who had gained her people's love and respect.

Part 3 in Maya Warrior Queens will include two more women rulers. If you enjoyed this blog, check out my memoir Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya. It's available on Amazon with tales about ex-pat life and living within 100 miles of four major pyramid sites. Subscribe to my bi-monthly blog posts above, or check out my website at www.jeaninekitchel.com. Books one and two in my Mexico cartel trilogy, Wheels Up—A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival,  and Tulum Takedown are available also on Amazon.

THE MAYA TEMAZCAL—A SWEAT LODGE OR A SPIRITUAL RITUAL

 

Image from Matadorenetwork.com

Years ago I attended a temazcal ceremony in the pueblo Centro Vallarta off a jungle road not far from Puerto Morelos. The woman who would lead the ceremony was a respected guide and had been actively helping the Maya locals and specifically Maya women in numerous ways for years. When she asked if I’d like to attend, I was happy to accept.

One of many temezcal styles (photo Bajainsider.com)

ANCIENT STRUCTURES

Sweat lodges and saunas have been around for thousands of years and modern versions of these ancient structures vary with their place of origin. The temazcal comes from the native cultures of northern Mexico. The event I'd attend was to be an all women ceremony with ten in attendance. It took place next to a cenote—seemed like good Feng Shui—on one of her friend’s properties in Vallarta. A Maya local, he’d built the structure from long slender tree branches that he curved into an arch that became a dome, then covered with tightly woven palm fronds. The entrance was small, just below hip height, and the circular structure measured roughly 15 feet in width. Shapes and make-up of temazcals vary widely, ranging from natural structures like this one to stucco or cement block, even tile surfaces. 

On arrival that afternoon we swam in the cold waters of the sparkling cenote. It was a spring day and in southern Mexico that brings humidity and heat, especially inland. The water was refreshing and after our swim we sat on the side of the clear pool as we waited for the temazcal to begin.

Cenote (photo Natalie Obradovich)

When local women got together from our pueblo, it was usually a time of laughter, joking and fun, but we all sensed that our attendance here, at the temazcal, was a somber moment. We were undertaking an ancient ritual. For many of us it was our first experience attending a temazcal ceremony and the overall tone was thoughtful and reflective.

Goddess Ixchel (photo AlmaLDStours) 

Sandra's friend, Don Jose, had started the fire near the structure before we arrived, to heat the lava rocks for the temazcal. The entrance to the temazcal is traditionally low. That forces those participating to crawl in and out—a gesture of reverence as the ceremony represents rebirth in the womb of Mother Earth. A temazcal is considered a spiritual renewal, connected to the goddess Ixchel. Inside, at the dome's center, would be a ring of rocks inside which the heated lava rocks were placed. Don Jose kept the cloth flap over the entrance closed until we were ready to go inside. We’d each brought a towel or blanket to sit or lie on. Once inside, the hot, steamy atmosphere made me sweat. Temazcal in Nahuatal translates to house of heat. That was definitely accurate

PREPARING THE SPACE

Sandra had placed copal, or pom, a Maya incense, on the lava rocks before we went inside. Then she’d returned back to the group, asking us to gather in a circle around her. With arms wide, she beckoned to the four directions and four elements just outside the domed temazcal. She blew into a conch shell, one long continuous blast, before we all crawled into the temezcal’s dark interior where the smoky fragrance of copal filled the dome. Once inside we were asked to say silent prayers for guidance and divine blessings, a process to cleanse and fortify.

Lava rocks (Mexexperience.com)

She put volcanic rocks heated until glowing in the center of the ring. "These rocks are considered the grandmothers or abuelas," she explained, "so that our ancestors share the experience with us."

Fresh water in a bucket with fragrant herbs was brought to a boil, and then splashed on the rocks. The space filled with a musty perfumed odor. Everyone sat in silent contemplation and the process went on for a long while. It was stifling inside, a true sauna. 

We were in complete darkness, all sweating profusely, in silent repose. I leaned back on my blanket, wondering what came next. There was only silence for a good long while—us and our thoughts. Finally Sandra spoke.

SILENCE

“After your silent contemplation, we now begin our journey of rebirth. We’re in the womb here of Mother Earth. She asks our reasons for coming. While we sweat, it’s our job to look within for spiritual cleanliness while the sweat removes our physical toxins. We'll remain in silence."

For what seemed like forever, the dome was silent, with the only interruption being the hissing of the volcanic rocks when Sandra dripped water onto them. At long last she spoke. 

“Now we can go around the circle and speak out loud to our ancestors and our sisters here.”

Ancient temazcal at Parque Yaxah Nakum Naranjo (photo Wikipedia)

The next part of the temezcal was charged and emotional. The ceremony, the silence, the profuse sweating out of toxins, the intensity evident in our soul-bearing to each other, had transformed us.  After the last of us spoke, Sandra led a prayer and  benediction—a display of gratitude to Ixchel, our ancestors, the four elements and spirits. I felt bonded to not only Sandra but all the other women there along with renewed respect for Ixchel, the Maya mother goddess who had guided us to this satisfying finale.

I hear every temezcal is unique, though a certain amount of propriety remains intact. The ceremony I attended was a hybrid, conducted not by a Maya local but a woman from the community who had studied and trained in the ways of Maya shamanic life. I felt reborn as I crawled out of the dark dome, eyes downward, after my jolt of spiritual awareness. One by one we made our way to the edge of that clear cenote, feeling the welcome fresh air and slipping into the cool water, submerging our entire bodies as we embraced our newborn selves. From darkness, we were now swimming in the light.

Temazcal in San Luis Potosi (photo Trip Advisor)

If you enjoyed this blog, check out my memoir Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya. it's available on Amazon with many more tales about ex-pat life and living within 100 miles of four major pyramid sites fo years, owning a bookstore in Mexico, Maya culture and Mexico travel. Subscribe to my bi-monthly blog posts above, or check out my website at www.jeaninekitchel.com. Books one and two in my Mexico cartel trilogy, Wheels Up—A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival, and Tulum Takedown, are also on Amazon. My journalistic overview of the Maya 2012 calendar phenomenon, Maya 2012 Revealed: Demystifying the Prophecy, is also on Amazon.