Skeleton May Be That of Maya Queen

Archeologists excavating in the Guatemalan rain forest have unearthed what appear to be the 1,300-year-old remains of a Maya warrior queen, a rare find in a society that was dominated by men.

The previously untouched tomb was discovered in a royal palace at the Maya city of Waka, known today as El Peru. Once a city with tens of thousands of inhabitants, Waka is about 36 miles west of the Maya city of Tikal in what today is northern Guatemala. It was inhabited as early as 500 BC, but flourished between AD 400 and 800.

Archeologist David Freidel of Southern Methodist University and his colleagues have been working at the site since 2002 and have so far discovered more than 40 stelae -- inscribed stone pillars -- chronicling the activities of 22 rulers.

The female skeleton was discovered in a vaulted burial chamber built inside the shell of a building atop the palace necropolis. The room contained more than 2,400 artifacts. Although researchers have not yet identified the queen’s name, pottery indicates she was entombed between AD 650 and 750.

The woman’s royal status was indicated by the presence of small greenstone tiles that form a war helmet and a carved royal jewel that may have once been part of this headdress.

“The helmet is consistent with the kind we associate with the title kaloomte, or supreme warlord,” Freidel said.

The skeleton also had stingray spines embedded in its pelvis. Such spines are often depicted being used to let blood from the genitalia of Maya kings, and their presence suggests the woman had a similar stature, he said.