Lady of Tikal

Lady of Tikal
Reign April 19, 511 – ? 527
Predecessor Chak Tok Ich'aak II AKA Jaguar Paw Skull
Successor Bird Claw
Full name
Lady of Tikal, AKA Woman of Tikal
Born September 1, 504

Lady of Tikal (also known as Woman of Tikal) was a Maya Queen of Tikal.

Biography

She is referred to as having assumed a leadership role at the age of six (on April 19, 511) but did not rule on her own. Instead, she co-ruled with an individual named Kaloomte' Bahlam.[1] The daughter of Chak Tok Ich'aal II, Lady of Tikal was depicted on Stela 23, which was broken and later re-erected incomplete. It is presumed that Stela 6 and Stela 12 also mention Lady of Tikal, but she is referred to by a different name. Her relationship to Bird Claw, who may have been her successor (and the 20th ruler of Tikal), is unknown due to problems deciphering the text of Stela 8, but it is important to note that Bird Claw does not carry the Tikal emblem.[2]

The name "Lady of Tikal" can also refer to Lady Six Sky of Dos Pilas/Naranjo, more commonly known as "Woman of Tikal". The first Lady of Tikal was born in September 504 while Lady Six Sky acceded to the throne at Naranjo in 682.

Monuments that refer to the first Lady of Tikal are Stelae 6, 12, and 23.

Notes

  1. Martin & Grube 2008:38
  2. Martin & Grube 2008:39