2024-07-10 09:41:08
Two years and eleven months after being sent to the United States on loan, the Stela 24 Lady Six Heaven of the Naranjo-Sa’al archaeological site returned to Guatemala. This is a very important piece that highlights the participation of the Women as rulers in Mayan cultureHere we tell you more about its meaning and where it will be kept now that it is in the country.
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Stela 24 Lady Six Sky of Naranjo-Sa’al returned to Guatemala
After more than two years of being out of Guatemala, the Stele 24known as the Lady Six Sky of Naranjo-Sa’alreturned to the country last Wednesday, July 3. Since 1976, this mayan sculpture had taken shelter in the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnologylocated in zone 13 of Guatemala City, and this year it will return to its place.
This is the last archaeological piece to return to the country, after being sent on loan to museums in Texas and Cincinnati in the United States. In that country, it was appreciated by visitors to the exhibition “The Life of the Gods: Divinity in Mayan Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which was open from September 2, 2021 to June 30, 2024.
An archaeological piece that represents female rulers in Mayan culture
Stela 24 was found at the Naranjo-Sa’al archaeological site in Petén and is known by the name Eight Channels Ajauwhat does it mean “Lady Six Heaven“, as it was dedicated to this ruler. The piece is 190 centimeters high, 88 centimeters wide, 26 centimeters thick and weighs 2,866 pounds. It is considered a “symbol of the authority and prestige of female royalty in the ancient city of Naranjo-Sa’al.”
According to the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the “representation of female rulers, queens or outstanding women in Mayan society is very unusual.” This piece stands out because it was dedicated to a sovereign who, according to history, was one of the most influential in the Late Classic period. The sculpture celebrates the day of her arrival in the city of Naranjo, marking her importance in the society of that time.
About Wak Chanil Ajau, Lady Six Heaven
Also known as Lady Dos Pilas or Lady of Tikal, this queen ruled between the years 687 and 741 AD. She was born in the city of Dos Pilas located southeast of Petén and her father was the governor of B’ajlaj Chan K’awii. She was the mother of three sons, one of whom was crowned at the age of five. She is considered to have been the person who made possible several of the achievements attributed to her son. When he died, she continued to reign and was victorious in several conflicts with other cities.
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