University of Calgary archaeologist Kathryn Reese-Taylor and an international team of researchers have discovered an early Mayan portrait of a woman.
The discovery was made earlier this year in Guatemala at the site of Naachtun, a Mayan city about 55 miles north of the more famous Mayan city of Tikal. The woman's face -- carved on a stone monument called a stela in an artistic style never before seen -- suggests women played significant roles in early Mayan politics, Reese-Taylor said.
"I've worked in the Maya area a long time and I've never seen anything like it," she said. "We have images of queens, who ruled both singly and with their husbands or sons, depicted on stelae later in Mayan history ... but this stela is completely unique in style and likely dates to the 4th century A.D."
Scientists are tantalized by the possibility she might be a mythical figure.
"If this is a patron deity, then it is extremely rare," Reese-Taylor said "When hieroglyphic texts do mention women, it is usually in the context of being either someone's mother or someone's wife."
Copyright 2005 by United Press International
Related stories:
Revising and re-sizing history: New work shows Ohio site to be an ancient water works, not a fort
(PhysOrg.com) -- The site known as Miami Fort is no fort at all, and it is also much larger than previously believed – so large, in fact, that its berms stretch to almost six kilometers in length, making it twice as large as any other Native American earthworks in Ohio, and one of the largest in the nation.
Researchers survey for rare birds among Mayan ruins
(PhysOrg.com) -- During a trip to the forests of northern Guatemala earlier this year, Cornell natural sounds expert Greg Budney and his cohorts captured the first recording of a Caribbean dove in Guatemala and one of only a handful of known recordings of the bare-throated tiger heron, which emits a "spectacular low-deep" croon.
There is no such thing as 'the' Indian
An increasing number of mayors in Guatemala are of Indian origin. Dutch researcher Elisabet Rasch went to find out what this development means and discovered that there is much more to building a multicultural democracy than electing Indian mayors and presidents. This is due to the enormous range of interpretations of identity: there is no such thing as ‘the’ Indian.
URI analysis of rare textiles from Honduras ruins suggests Mayans produced fine fabrics
Very few textiles from the Mayan culture have survived, so the treasure trove of fabrics excavated from a tomb at the Copán ruins in Honduras since the 1990s has generated considerable excitement.
Cantaloupe recall continues to expand
The recall of Honduran-grown cantaloupes now includes the Dole Food Co., Bounty Fresh LLC, Spokane Produce Inc., and Chiquita Brands International Inc.
More Honduran cantaloupes recalled
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded a voluntary recall of Honduran cantaloupes because of possible salmonella contamination.
Model of Easter Island Collapse Might Reveal Message for Today
When a thriving civilization suddenly collapses, it’s often a mystery – and an ominous one, at that. For Easter Island circa 1000-1400 AD, experts believe it was a case of humans overexploiting their natural resources – mostly, the palm tree. But exactly where did the culturally rich Rapanui society go too far?
Researchers discover Maya mask splendor
Ancient Mayan temple builders discovered and used lustrous pigments to make their buildings dazzle in the daylight, a Queensland University of Technology researcher has discovered.