Posted on 10/04/2012 4:30:08 AM PDT by Squawk 8888
GUATEMALA CITY - Archaeologists in Guatemala have discovered the tomb of an ancient Mayan warrior queen packed with jade jewels and other artifacts that shed light on the long-vanished civilization, experts said on Wednesday.
Researchers from Guatemala and the United States uncovered the remains of Queen Kalomte Kabel, who reigned in the seventh century, at the Peru-Waka dig site in the sweltering Peten jungle region in northern Guatemala.
Inside the tomb, the team found a hoard of glistening jade jewels and a small alabaster vase decorated with the image of an older womans face and inscribed with the queens name, providing identification of the long-dead ruler.
To discover something of this importance is very unusual, lead archaeologist David Freidel told Reuters. She was the supreme warlord of her kingdom.
The remains were discovered in June but it has taken until now for experts to verify the identity of the queen.
The Central American nation is studded with pyramids and ruins from the ancient Mayan civilization, which thrived between AD 250 and 900 and extended from modern day Honduras to central Mexico.
Queen Kabels portrait has appeared on Mayan plaques that associate her with the year 692 during the Mayan classic period, when her husband, king Wak Kinich Bahlam II, ruled.
Historians believe that Kabel reigned over Calakmul, a Mayan community which often battled the powerful king El Zotz and his kingdom Tikal - just south of the border with present-day Mexico - where well-preserved ruins are a popular draw for tourists.
Deciphering the identities of ancient Mayan leaders from dig sites often proves a challenge. While rulers tombs are often covered with ancient hieroglyphics and pictures, determining precise names is difficult, researchers said.
We had made a lot of discoveries of objects making reference to this queen and now to complete it with her remains is very important, said Guatemalan archaeologist Griselda Perez.
(((.)))
Something different from all this December 21, 2012 stuff in regards to the “Mayan culuture”.
El Zotz - I actually laughed at this.
She just wasn't Kalomte Kabel.
(Lame .. I know ... but it jumped back into my brain after years of dormancy .. ((old bible school joke; Why didn't God accept Cain's offering? .. He just wasn't Abel)) .. )
Warrior Queen and “the powerful king ‘El Zotz’....”
There’s your historical precedent!
;>)
Her name must have been Xenatl.
way cool, a South American Cleopatra.....
I ate bar-b-que monkey at a roadside snack shack in Guatemala. Not too bad.
I ate at a KFC in Guatemala once.....
“What pieces are in the ‘3 Piece Special’?”
“A leg, a breast and an arm.”
“OK. And what sides do..............An arm?..........chickens don’t have arms...........Let’s get out of here!”
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GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
Thanks Squawk 8888. |
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I do remember flying from Flores near Tikal over the Peten jungle en route to Belize City. The pilot was very familiar with Mayan ruins in the region and he pointed out many unexcavated and largely unexplored sites below. Maybe one of them was the Queen's burial site. There's a huge amount yet to be learned about the Mayans.
the powerful king El Zotz
Do not mess with ‘El Zotz!
The Hooters in Guatemala City has great chicken arms. I will be ordering up a plate of chicken arms there in a couple of weeks.
Thats the word I was looking for. I remembered it about an hour later as I was in the shower.
Yes, the place is loaded with archeo sites. The jungle and bush hides things amazingly well.
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