By Mike McDonald
GUATEMALA CITY, Oct 3 (Reuters) – Archaeologists in
Guatemala have discovered the tomb of an ancient Mayan warrior
queen packed with jade jewels and other artifacts that shed
light on the long-vanished civilization, experts said on
Wednesday.
Researchers from Guatemala and the United States uncovered
the remains of Queen Kalomt’e K’abel, who reigned in the seventh
century, at the Peru-Waka dig site in the sweltering Peten
jungle region in northern Guatemala.
Inside the tomb, the team found a hoard of glistening jade
jewels and a small alabaster vase decorated with the image of an
older woman’s face and inscribed with the queen’s name,
providing identification of the long-dead ruler.
“To discover something of this importance is very unusual,”
lead archaeologist David Freidel told Reuters. “She was the
supreme warlord of her kingdom.”
The remains were discovered in June but it has taken until
now for experts to verify the identity of the queen.
The Central American nation is studded with pyramids and
ruins from the ancient Mayan civilization, which thrived between
AD 250 and 900 and extended from modern day Honduras to central
Mexico.
Queen K’abel’s portrait has appeared on Mayan plaques that
associate her with the year 692 during the Mayan classic period,
when her husband, king Wak K’inich Bahlam II, ruled.
Historians believe that K’abel reigned over Calakmul, a
Mayan community which often battled the powerful king ‘El Zotz’
and his kingdom Tikal – just south of the border with
present-day Mexico – where well-preserved ruins are a popular
draw for tourists.
Deciphering the identities of ancient Mayan leaders from dig
sites often proves a challenge. While rulers’ tombs are often
covered with ancient hieroglyphics and pictures, determining
precise names is difficult, researchers said.
“We had made a lot of discoveries of objects making
reference to this queen and now to complete it with her remains
is very important,” said Guatemalan archaeologist Griselda
Perez.
(Editing Tim Gaynor and Mohammad Zargham)
