Red mayan stucco mask in Edzna, Campeche
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Rediscovering ancient Edzná and its forgotten queen

With its large plazas, enormous temples, well-preserved stelae, and opulent decoration, Edzná has long been recognized as one of Campeche’s most impressive archaeological sites. The story surrounding the great Maya city has usually been dominated by its later history. In the 9th century C.E., the Itzá conquered the city, making it a regional capital and second only in importance to Chichén Itzá.  

Pyramid in Edzna sorrounded by an ancient acropolis.
The core of Edzná is dominated by an enormous enclosed plaza featuring a five-level pyramid containing dozens of chambers and a cross-shaped sanctuary within its highest level. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

However, recent excavations of Edzná have begun to illuminate a history that predates the arrival of the Itzá by at least a millennium.

One of the most interesting discoveries highlighted in recent years is evidence of the Queenship of Ixb’aah Pahk’, better known as the Blood Queen, who ruled Edzná during the 7th century, its most ambitious expansion era.

Epigraphic evidence suggests that one of Edzná’s famous surviving stucco masks corresponds to the Blood Queen herself.

Red mayan stucco mask in Edzna, Campeche
This possible likeness of the Red Queen features her crosseyed, a trait much desired among Mesoamerican nobles. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

One of the most notable aspects of the Blood Queen is that she ruled as Kaloomté, which means she was a leader in her own right, not as a regent or placeholder. Though the rule of queens was by no means unheard of, it did seem to be an exception exemplified by Wac-Chanil-Ahau or Lady 6 Sky, who was the last in a dynasty of female queens in the city of El Naranjo and even brought the mightly El Caracol to its knees. 

One of the other most exciting revelations unearthed during the most recent round of research at Edzná is just how much more ancient the city is. Surrounding the main plaza, archaeologists have been able to unearth constructions dating back as far back as the 4th to the 1st century B.C.E. 

The number of stelae fragments unearthed during the most recent round of excavations at Edzná is so large that several fragments are sitting in storage until they can be relocated and researched using state-of-the-art procedures and technologies. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

It is believed that monumental architecture built during this time was erected by Maya, who migrated north from Calakmul in the Petén. While some of these structures were unearthed with large layers of sediment and vegetation, others were uncovered within more recent constructions. 

Edzná’s Structure 501 is among those recently restored for the first time and opened to the public. The architectural complex shows evidence of elaborate stucco masks and motifs that reference rain and fertility deities. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

While reconstructing ancient architecture “from scratch” is an enormous undertaking, uncovering even more ancient structures from the remains of others is even more complicated and requires enormous planning and strategizing. 

The task is even more complicated when, like in the case of Edzná’s House of the Moon, restoration work has already been done without following a proper methodology. 

One of Edzná’s most fascinating features is the extensive hieroglyphic writing on the facades and steps of several of its temples. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

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