Late classic Maya warrior queens: profiling a new gender role

Abstract

In the Late Classic period of Mesoamerica, nine royal women emerged as warriors in their own right. Monumental stelae at Coba, Calakmul, Naranjo, and Naachtun depict these prominent women as victorious captors of the hapless foe situated at their feet, and stand as testaments to a new gender role. Although they lived in a patriarchal society, these women commanded positions of substance and power, and some even achieved the status of ruler.