Birthing Dynasties and Raising Suns: Royal Women and Preclassic Maya Ritual

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Role of Women in Mesoamerican Ritual" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Underneath a Classic Maya palace at Ucanha, builders buried a Terminal Preclassic platform outfitted with monumental portraits of rain gods. Analogous architecture appears throughout the Maya lowlands from the Middle Preclassic to Early Classic periods, and several scholars suggest their role in expediting the apotheosis of royal figures into solar entities. Building on the role these structures played in creating dynastic lines, this paper addresses the feminine nature of Maya masked architecture. I argue that their femininity begets consideration of royal women leading ceremonies atop these Preclassic monuments. The resulting implication contends that royal women not only played the important role in birthing future rulers but also made early contributions to the development of Maya religion.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Role of Women in Mesoamerican Ritual   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36701.0