Women Elites in the Royal Court of Tonina, Chiapas

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Recent Archaeological Investigations in Chiapas, Mexico" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

New hieroglyphic and iconographic evidence allows us to preliminary reconstruct women’s political hierarchy inside Tonina’s royal court during the Late Classic period. As it is well known, parentage statements are very scarce in the inscriptions of Tonina and limited to maternal ancestry. Aside from the importance of local female nobility, there is evidence of the arrival of powerful female foreigners: this is the case of the mother of “Ruler 8” who was from Pomona’s royal court in the Tabasco region. The recent discovery of funeral monuments related to female elites bearing the ix sajal title is of the greatest importance to understanding women's participation not only in the political affairs inside the royal court of Tonina but also beyond the kingdom as provincial governors. Therefore, visualizing their participation in the courtly life of the site is essential to avoid gender bias in the reconstruction of Toniná's history. And, overall, to promote a study of Classic Maya society from a more integrative approach.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Recent Archaeological Investigations in Chiapas, Mexico   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39698.0