A loose stone ... and a curious mind

New information changes the known world

On a quest of discovery, a loose stone becomes a threshold.

In the Mayan archeology world of the  early 1990s, the major Mayan site of Palenque had been well explored and mapped, its secrets demystified, its glyphs translated. It was known and understood.

A loose stone and a curious mind was about to change everything.

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Palenque, a massive archeological site in the southern Mexico State of Chiapas, was the hub of the ancient Mayan world and flourished between the 6^th and 9^th centuries AD ( Classic period of Mesoamerican civilization). Much of what was known about Palenque came with the discovery in 1952 of King Pakal’s tomb and the information encrypted on the lid of his sarcophagus. Pakal was the most significant king of the Mayan civilization and the understanding that developed from the discovery of his tomb was of a highly male-dominated culture.

Gaby, our guide, explaining a small version of the lid of King Pakal’s tomb.

That “known world” was challenged by a loose stone discovered, interestingly enough, by female archeological student Fanny López Jiménez. I had the opportunity to hear her tell her story at a meeting in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Fortunately, my friend and guide Gaby Gudino Gual filled in the blanks left by my spotty Spanish.

Finding a Mayan sarcophagus is a rare event … only four have been discovered to date. Fanny’s loose stone led to the discovery of something even more rare … the sarcophagus of a female, obviously an elite female. Before an unexpected empty space sparked Fanny’s curiosity, Temple VIII* had been studied and mapped but its significance was unknown.

Curiosity meets the unexpected and asks why

Fanny López Jiménez, a student with a research team led by Professor Arnoldo González Cruz, noticed a loose stone, removed it, and stuck her hand into the space where the stone had been and found a void, where there was no reason for a void and wondered why it was there. Her discovery led to further excavation and the finding of a female buried in a sarcophagus surrounded by cinnabar (only used in the burials of families of the highest social status) and over 700 pieces of jade.

Fanny went on to help identify the woman in the tomb as the Red Queen and, most likely, King Pakal’s wife, Lady Tz’akbu Ajaw, mother to two royal heirs of Palenque. This discovery led to a deeper understanding of the role of elite women in the Mayan hierarchy. “The Red Queen's burial, with its rich offerings and symbolism, indicated that the roles of elite Maya women were likely more complex and multifaceted than initially thought.” (ChatGPT)

After Fanny’s presentation, my friend Gaby filled in the story in a way that seems all too familiar in our modern world. A prestigious local prize was offered to both Fanny Lopez and Arnoldo Gonzalez, who both refused it because it had just been “part of their jobs.” Later, the professor decided to accept the award and went on to write the book about the discovery.

Another loose stone: so many untold stories

On my recent travels around three Mayan archeological sites, I found my own loose stone that sparked curiosity … the archeology of the ancient Mayan world was filled with women who were critical to creating the understanding we now have of that world. Women I didn’t know about, stories I had never heard. It created a yearning within me to hear more stories of the unsung heroes of our world, especially the women who seem to always get shortchanged in the telling of these stories.

Here’s a question for you to ponder: What “loose stone” have you come across that might be the threshold for your next discovery?

Sources:

The Red Queen of Palenque, Lyndsey Holloway Hernandez

Conversations with Gaby Gudino Gual.

ChatGPT answered several questions.

Side Note: ChatGPT, when asked about Fanny Lopez, said:

“There is no widely known or documented information about an individual named Fanny Lopez being directly involved in the discovery of the Red Queen's sarcophagus at Palenque. The primary individuals associated with the discovery of the Red Queen's tomb are Mexican archaeologist Arnoldo González Cruz and his team.”

But also noted: “If there is new information or developments related to the Red Queen's discovery involving Fanny Lopez, it might not be widely known or covered in publicly available sources up to my last knowledge update in January 2022.”

From Arnoldo González Cruz Wikipedia page:

From In 1994, one of the members of his team, Fanny López Jiménez, found a tomb with seven hundred pieces of jade in the Temple of the Skull and a substructure in Temple XIII, the mortuary chamber and the Sarcophagus of the Red Queen. Arnoldo González Cruz carried out the coordination of the rescue work, the registration of the archaeological materials and their transfer to the warehouses in the area. Based on the analysis of the materials, he published his book called The Red Queen .

*Side Note: throughout my wanderings about archaeology sites in Mexico, I’ve noticed terminology from European sites … Roman numerals and terms such as Acropolis, etc. I asked ChatGPT about this and received this feedback:

The use of European terminology, such as "acropolis" and Roman numerals, to describe features and structures in Mesoamerican archaeological sites is a result of historical and scholarly conventions established during the period of European exploration and colonialism in the Americas. When European explorers, conquistadors, and later scholars encountered and began studying the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica, they often used terms and concepts from their own cultural and academic backgrounds to describe and classify the unfamiliar structures they encountered.

Here are some reasons why European terminology is often applied to Mesoamerican archaeological sites:

• Colonial Legacy: The exploration and documentation of Mesoamerican cultures began during the colonial period, when European powers were establishing colonies in the Americas. European explorers and chroniclers, often guided by the structures' superficial resemblances to European architecture, applied familiar terms like "acropolis" (meaning a high, fortified area in a city) to describe elevated ceremonial centers in Mesoamerican cities.

• European Scholarly Tradition: Early European scholars studying Mesoamerican archaeology and anthropology applied the terminology and classification systems that were prevalent in their own scholarly traditions. This included using terms like "acropolis," "plaza," and Roman numerals for structures, platforms, and monuments.

• Comparative Framework: The use of European terminology facilitated the comparison and classification of Mesoamerican sites within a broader global context. Scholars often sought to draw parallels between Mesoamerican civilizations and classical civilizations of the Old World, leading to the application of terms that Europeans were familiar with.

• Standardization of Terminology: Over time, certain terms became standardized within the field of Mesoamerican archaeology. This standardization helped create a shared vocabulary among scholars, making it easier to communicate and publish research findings.

While the use of European terminology has historical roots, contemporary scholars and researchers are increasingly aware of the importance of using culturally sensitive and context-specific language. There is ongoing effort within the field to adopt terminology that respects and reflects the unique characteristics and cultural contexts of the indigenous societies being studied. In recent years, there has been a greater emphasis on incorporating local names and meanings into archaeological descriptions to better represent the perspectives of the indigenous cultures that created these magnificent archaeological sites.