Lady Kʼawiil Ajaw or Ix Kʼawiil Ekʼ (617-682), was a queen regnant of the Maya city State of Cobá in 640–682.[1][2][3]
| Lady Kʼawiil Ekʼ | |
|---|---|
| Ajaw | |
 Lady Kʼawiil's portrait on Stela 1 of Cobá | |
| Queen of Cobá | |
| Reign | 6 April 640 - 682 |
| Predecessor | Sihyaj Chan Kʼawiil |
| Successor | Chan Yopaat |
| Born | 25 June 617 Cobá |
| Died | 682 (aged 64–65) Cobá |
| Issue | Chan Yopaat |
| House | Snake dynasty |
| Father | Sihyaj Chan Kʼawiil |
| Mother | Lady of Stela 3 |
| Religion | Maya religion |
It is not clear how she succeeded to the throne or how she is connected to her predecessors. She appears to have succeeded a male ruler. It is seen as likely that she was the daughter, granddaughter or niece of her predecessor. She does not appear to have been the first woman ruler of Cobá. Archeological evidence appear to attest to a ruling queen, also named Lady Kʼawiil Ajaw (I) and with the title kaloomteʼ, ruling as the founder of the Coba dynasty in the late 5th- or early 6th-century.[1] Monuments of a second woman, who ruled around the year 600 (Che'enal), has been found at Coba. Lady Kʼawiil Ajaw (II), therefore, appear to have been at least the third woman to rule in the city state.
She bore the title kaloomteʼ ('superior warrior'), which was a very high title in contemporary Maya culture, and not worn by all rulers. She is depicted on the Stela 1 of Coba. The front of Stela 5 likely portrays the husband of Lady Kʼawiil Ajaw. He is depicted only once, while she is depicted many times, signifying that she held the actual power, and he was her consort.[4]
On the stela she commissioned, she is depicted presiding over, or treading upon, over a dozen captives under her feet, a larger number than any other Maya queen, and more than almost any other Maya king.[1] Her portraits regularly show her wearing a belt with triplicate jade masks, and associated dangling celts, which was costume elements otherwise found only in portraits of males.
Many monuments in Coba attest to the reign of Lady Kʼawiil Ajaw (II). She herself commissioned stelae 1 and 5 of Cobá. Her reign took place during a period of golden age of Coba, with political continuity, economic prosperity, and expansionistic, militaristic power, and not a vassal of Calakmul, which many other Maya states at this point were. Yaxuná were either conquered by Coba, or consolidated as its possession, during her reign. She was possibly the monarch who ordered the construction of Cobá's famous causeway, Sacbe 1, between Cobá and Yaxuná. K’awiil Ajaw led successful military campaigns that led to the expansion of Cobá's territory.[5]
She appears to have been succeeded by king Chan Yopaat in 682. Archaeological evidence, and inscriptions from Tikal and Edzná, suggest that Cobá's power waned shortly after her death.
References
edit- ^ a b c Stanton, Travis W. (2014-10-10). The Archaeology of Yucatán: New Directions and Data (in Spanish). Archaeopress Publishing Ltd. pp. 400–411. ISBN 978-1-78491-009-9.
- ^ Mexico, UNESCO Office (2016-12-31). The Role of archaeoastronomy in the Maya World: the case study of the Island of Cozumel. UNESCO Publishing. p. 131. ISBN 978-92-3-500011-5.
- ^ Cooper, Karen Coody (2022-03-14). Cherokee Women in Charge: Female Power and Leadership in American Indian Nations of Eastern North America. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-4638-1.
- ^ Ardren, Traci (2023-06-22). Everyday Life in the Classic Maya World. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-04067-0.
- ^ Fisher, Chelsea (2023-10-03). Rooting in a Useless Land: Ancient Farmers, Celebrity Chefs, and Environmental Justice in Yucatan. Univ of California Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-520-39586-2.
Further reading
edit- Did a Seventh-Century Warrior Queen Build the Maya’s Longest Road? Dubbed the “white road” in honor of its limestone paving, the 62-mile path is an engineering marvel on par with Maya pyramids. Theresa Machemer. Correspondent. March 6, 2020
- The Archaeology of Yucatan, Edited by Travis W. Stanton
- Decoded Maya hieroglyphs reveal the name of powerful woman ruler: ‘Lady Yopaat’ After ten years of research, the city of Cobá is revealing its secrets to archaeologists
- Travis W. Stanton, The Archaeology of Yucatán: New Directions and Data