The Queen Enters the Building
Today in ancient Maya history, Lady Six Sky entered Naranjo for the first time. Though an outsider and probably a teenager, she was about to leave quite the impression on the war-torn city.
On August 28 682 CE (9.12.10.5.12 4 Eb 10 Yax in the Maya calendar), Ix Wak Chan Jalam Lem (“Lady 6 Sky”) entered the war-torn city of Naranjo for the first time to become its queen through marriage to a local dignitary. Though she was an outsider, she would lead her new subjects in an artistic and scientific renaissance—but unfortunately for Naranjo, her obsession with defeating her father’s enemies meant the city was not about to experience respite from the generations of warfare it had known.
Although we don’t know her birthday, she was probably a teenager when she came to Naranjo, because her influence lasted for decades. Although she was known primarily as a regent to her son, her power as a female ruler shows a lot about potential social dynamics in the Classic Maya period.
Today, she’s one of the most famous ancient Maya rulers, just below Pakal the Great, and she’s even appeared in video games and cheesy (aka wonderful) romantic fiction. But her political power was hardly unique for a woman among the Classic Maya. In fact, her arrival coincided with the death of a woman who may have served as her mentor or at least inspiration: Lady K’awiil Ajaw of Coba, and even she was predated by an earlier female ruler of Coba in the early 600s.
We know the cities of Coba and Naranjo had a strong connection because 28 August 682 wasn’t only the day Lady 6 Sky entered Naranjo for the first time; it was also the day a new ruler of Coba received the sak hunal of leadership. While Coba and Naranjo are quite far apart, their mutual connection to Calakmul and the Snake Dynasty suggest the dates were no accident.
Lady 6 Sky emulated Lady K’awiil Ajaw in many ways, like standing on the backs of her captives in royal art, a rare trait for women. (Still, Lady K’awiil Ajaw currently holds the dubious honor of the title “woman in the Maya world who has stood on the most peoples’ backs.”) They also seem to have had a shared fascination with the moon, and Lady 6 Sky likely drove changes to the way the Maya counted moon cycles during the Classic Era. Considering the age gap between them and the similarity in political propaganda, I believe Lady 6 Sky looked up to Lady K’awiil Ajaw and may have even met the older queen when Lady 6 Sky was a child. It’s important to have role models!
"Lady 6 Sky likely drove changes to the way the Maya counted moon cycles during the Classic Era." Oh, my goodness, you're driving me wild! Please share more about this.