All hail Lady Snake Lord -- at least what's left of her. Archeologists believe they have discovered the tomb of the great Mayan warrior queen in Guatemala, according to National Geographic.
Her Snake-ness ruled the Wak kingdom for her family, the Kan or "Snake" dynasty, between A.D. 672 and 692, National Geographic wrote. She reigned as one of the most powerful rulers of the Classic Maya civilization.
Her formal name was "Lady Ka'bel" but her serpentine moniker was far more colorful, Newser points out.
The dig at El Peru-Waka's main pyramid temple produced a critical clue to the decayed bones' identity: a stone alabaster jar in the tomb that has the carved head of an old woman poking out of it. The lined, stern face matches historical accounts of the queen, and the carved hieroglyphics on the other side of the jar list her known nicknames, including Lady Snake Lord, NBC News reported.
"It's as close as to a smoking gun as we can get in archeology," said expedition co-director David Freidel, an archeologist from Washington University in St. Louis.
Other ceramic vessels discovered in the tomb and stone carvings on the outside also suggest the skeletal remains belong to Lady Snake Lord. However, there is the possibility that she handed down the jar as an heirloom to another royal who was ascending to the great beyond, Freidel told the university's website.
David Stuart, a professor of Mesoamerican art and writing at the University of Texas at Austin, told National Geographic there was a "fair chance" it was Lady Snake Lord.
In any case, Lady Snake Lord was one commanding potentate -- even at home, Freidel added. Her husband was king, but she alone carried the title of "Supreme Warrior," meaning she ruled over him, too.
Related
Before You Go
