People We Should Know

Have you ever wondered how people today know so much about the cultures and civilizations that lived hundreds of years ago? We have adventurers like Dr. Linda Schele to thank! Schele was a studio art teacher who became interested in Maya culture and history on a trip to the ancient Maya city of Palenque in 1970. This trip inspired her to devote her life to the study of these ancient people, and she became one of the leading scholars on Maya inscriptions and writings. Today, scholars can read about 90 percent of Maya writing thanks primarily to Schele’s work decoding Maya hieroglyphics. Her efforts have allowed historians and archaeologists to learn about the politics, life, and practices of these ancient people.

In 2012, archaeologists uncovered the tomb of a powerful ruler at the ancient city of El Perú-Waka'. The tomb is believed to belong to the Maya queen, Lady K'abel. K'abel was part of the Snake dynasty from the Maya capital city of Calakmul. She was married to the king, K'inich Bahlam of the Wak empire, and ruler with her husband from AD 672–692. K'abel was not an ordinary queen. She was one of the few women in ancient Maya civilization to hold the title of Kaloomte or supreme warrior. This means that she held a higher authority in the city than her king husband. From her tomb, archaeologists have learned that the queen was celebrated by her peoiple and was an important figure even after her death.

One of the most famous rulers in Maya civilization was K'inich Janaab' Pakal I. He is often remembered in history as Pacal the Great. This important king became the ruler of the Maya city of Palenque around AD 615 when he was only 12 years old. He ruled for 68 years—longer than any other king in Maya history! During his reign, Pakal transformed Palenque into one of the greatest cities in all of Mesoamerica. He built monuments, perhaps the most significant being the temple that would become his tomb. This pyramid tomb is called the Temple of the Inscriptions. Archaeologists today study the pyramid and the ancient city that Pakal ruled as one of the best examples of ancient Maya civilization and architecture.

Alberto Ruz Lhuillier was an archaeologist who, like Linda Schele, researched the Maya ruins at Palenque. While studying the impressive Temple of the Inscriptions, Lhuillier became fascinated with a slab of stone on the pyramid floor that was different from all the others. He believed that something special lay beneath it. In 1952, after four long years of excavating the site, Lhuillier found one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. Buried deep within the pyramid was the burial chamber of the king, K'inich Janaaab' Pakal I! This one of a kind discovery inspired scholars to find out more about Maya culture and continue to explore the Maya ruins.