Women and power. The cases of Mrs. K’ab’al Xook of Yaxchilán, Mrs. Wak Chanil ofNaranjo and Mrs. Sak K’uk’ of Palenque

Abstract

Mothers, wives, courtesans or queens, the women of the Maya elite of the Late Classic period (600-900), were immersed in a complex political system. Its importance was such that some Mayan kings based their legitimacy on the mother's side. Others, in the company of their spouse, performed rituals in order to obtain the protection of the ancestors. It is true that, in comparison with the representations of men, few are the appearances of women among the Mayas; nevertheless, the epigraphic data give account of its importance as legitimators, since text and image complement each other to show us the roles that they perform within the Classic Maya society.