Join us for an AIA (Archaeological Institute of America) Toledo Society lecture: Late Classic Mayan Queens of the Snake Realm and their Role in Crafting State Politics: A View from Ancient Waka’. Presented by Dr. Olivia Navarro-Farr, Associate Professor of Archaeology, Wooster College.
This talk focuses on the symbolic significance of Classic Mayan royal queens of the snake realm (Kaan) and their political power which rose prominently during the Late Classic period (~AD 550-900) under the auspices of that regime. Their hypogamous marriages to subordinate vassal polities throughout the southern Maya lowlands created a network of alliances that elevated the snake realm’s hegemony. In consideration of the Indigenous ontological creation principle of gender complementarity as a foundation, the speaker argues the power of these snake Queens was grounded not only in their association with that regime, but as women with the attendant implications of fecundity and reproductive power as central to their political cachet. These power domains, steeped in the potent magic of fertility, were also central to their rulership as conjurers and diviners, with acts of sorcery themselves metaphorically linked to birth and birth work. Orienting her position from the ancient city of Waka’, the speaker reviews the substantial archaeological and epigraphic data surrounding two such queens who ruled during the 6th and 7th centuries, respectively. Evaluation of these lines of evidence permit a keen understanding of their governing strategies, their wielding of sacred power, and how the people they ruled, elevated them as revered ancestresses in memory for generations to follow. This cemented their legacy within Waka’s social and political landscape and beyond.
Tani (Tanitoluwa Adewumi), the young chess champion whose story of resilience and triumph has inspired many, will be our special guest at the upcoming chess tournament. This event, co-hosted by Toledo Public Schools, will take place at the Toledo Museum of Art on Saturday, February 15, 2025. It will be a celebration of the Strategic Interplay: African Art and Imagery in Black and White exhibition, which explores the powerful connections between African art and the game of chess. Visit the page below for more information.
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