The Red Queen of Palenque — A Life of Power
At Palenque’s on-site museum, a remarkable exhibit features artifacts from the life and death of perhaps the most famous Maya noblewoman, the Red Queen.
For decades, scholars have speculated about the identity of the Red Queen. Was she Lady Yohl Ik’nal, Palenque’s only known female ruler? Lady Sak K’uk’, Pakal’s mother, who ruled as regent before his ascension? Or Tz’akbu Ajaw, Pakal’s principal wife and mother of his heirs?
Recent epigraphic and DNA evidence strongly suggests she was Tz’akbu Ajaw, a noblewoman from Tortuguero, whose marriage to Pakal the Great solidified a crucial political alliance. Her tomb adjacent to Pakal’s majestic burial in the Temple of the Inscriptions hints at her extraordinary status. Unlike most royal Maya women buried with modest offerings, the Red Queen was entombed like a king.
Her burial in a dedicated temple and crimson tomb has captivated archaeologists and historians alike. Discovered in 1994, her burial chamber revealed her regal status and her intimate connection to one of Mesoamerica’s greatest rulers: K’inich Janaab’ Pakal, or Pakal the Great.
The Crimson Tomb
In 1994, archaeologists Arnoldo González Cruz and Fanny López Jiménez uncovered Burial Chamber VI within Palenque’s Temple XIII. Inside lay the remains of a noblewoman, her bones and artifacts stained a vivid red — a sacred pigment made from cinnabar that symbolized rebirth in Maya cosmology.
Her burial was fit for royalty: a jade-inlaid mask, a malachite diadem, and hundreds of greenstone beads adorned her body. Most striking was a pearl-studded shell placed in her mouth—an offering to guide her into the underworld. DNA analysis later confirmed her relation to Pakal, though debate persists: was she his mother (Lady Yohl Ik’nal), his wife, or another high-ranking woman? Most scholars now believe she was Tz’akbu Ajaw, Pakal’s queen and mother of his successors.
A Dynasty of Power and Prestige
As the wife of Pakal, she played a crucial role in legitimizing his reign and maintaining the K’inich dynasty. Together, they ushered in Palenque’s golden age—a time of architectural splendor, military conquests, and artistic flourishing. Her influence extended beyond courtly life and diplomacy. Inscriptions suggest she may have been a ritual practitioner involved in sacred ceremonies that sustained the kingdom’s cosmic order. While Pakal’s legacy is immortalized in the Temple of the Inscriptions, the Red Queen’s contributions were long overshadowed—until her tomb revealed her true significance.
But Tz’akbu Ajawm, the Red Queen, was not the only significant influence on the rule of Pakal the Great. Sak K’uk’. Epigagrphic suggests that after the death of Pakal the Great’s grandfather, Janaab’ Pakal, Pakal’s mother, Lady Sak K’uk’, held regency in Pakal’s stead until he came of age.
Legacy in Stone and Blood
The Red Queen’s lineage lived on through her sons, K’inich Kan B’alam II and K’inich K’an Joy Chitam II, who expanded Palenque’s dominance. Yet her tomb’s discovery reshaped history, proving that Maya women wielded formidable power—not just as mothers and wives, but as political and spiritual leaders.
The Great Kingdom of Palenque
Palenque’s true name in antiquity is up for debate, but most scholars agree it was either Bàak’ (fortified stronghold) or Lakam Há (the place of great waters).
Regardless of its true name, Palenque’s structures blend grace and grandeur, with towering temples like the Temple of the Inscriptions—home to Pakal’s legendary sarcophagus—and the Palace, a labyrinth of courtyards, hieroglyphic panels, and a unique four-story tower that may have served as an astronomical observatory. The city’s sculptors and scribes produced some of the finest Maya art, including the iconic Tablet of the 96 Glyphs and the haunting portrait stuccos that still watch over the ruins today.
Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican expedition/Canadian photographer, adventure leader, and PhD candidate. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds multimedia, philosophy, and translation degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada and Norway.
