Lady Six Sky – The most powerful Mayan Queen Regent of Naranjo

Lady Six Sky was one of the most powerful Mayan queens.^[1] She was a princess of Dos Pilas. She was sent to Naranjo to create a new dynasty and to help establish ties between Naranjo and Calakmul.^[2] When she arrived, Lady Six Sky became the de facto ruler of Naranjo.^[3] However, she never officially proclaimed herself queen regnant.^[4] Instead, she became the queen regent for her son, King K’ak’ Tiliw Chan Chaak.^[5] Lady Six Sky would reign as queen regent throughout the rest of her life.^[6]

The birthdate of Lady Six Sky is unknown.^[7] Modern archaeologists have translated her Mayan name to Ix Wak Jalam Chan Ajaw Lem.^[8] This means her full name is Lady Six Weaver Sky Lord Jewel.^[9] Her name alludes to “the jade part of the loom used by the moon goddess.”^[10] Lady Six Sky would later emulate the moon goddess during her regency.^[11]

Lady Six Sky’s father was King B’ajlaj Chan K’awiil (also known as Lightening Sky) of Dos Pilas in Guatemala.^[12] He was originally a member of the royal family of Tikal.^[13] However, his feud with his brother caused him to leave Tikal and establish his own dynasty at Dos Pilas.^[14] Her mother was Lady B’ulu.^[15] In 650, Dos Pilas was attacked by the Calakmul.^[16] Therefore, King B’ajlaj Chan K’awiil betrayed Tikal by becoming a vassal to Calakmul.^[17]

King B’ajlaj Chan K’awiil arranged for his daughter, Lady Six Sky, to go to Naranjo (whose Mayan name was Sa’aal and was ninety miles northeast of Dos Pilas) to create a new dynasty that would establish close ties to Calakmul.^[18] On 28 August 682, Lady Six Sky arrived in Naranjo from Dos Pilas.^[19] She brought with her a large entourage of servants and led a temple ceremony to mark her arrival in Naranjo.^[20] Therefore, Lady Six Sky became the de facto queen of Naranjo because she never officially proclaimed herself as queen regnant.^[21] 

Lady Six Sky’s husband has been erased from historical records.^[22] Therefore, nothing is known about him.^[23] Archaeologists speculate why the records are silent.^[24] Some believe that Lady Six Sky married a low-ranking cousin of Naranjo’s previous king, K’ahk’ Xiiw Chan Chaak.^[25] Some speculate that Lady Six Sky did not have a happy marriage.^[26] Some suspect that he may have been much older than Lady Six Sky.^[27] Some also suspect that he may have been captured or killed by the rulers of Tikal.^[28] Therefore, we do not know her husband’s fate.^[29]

On 4 January 688, Lady Six Sky gave birth to a son named K’ak’ Tiliw Chan Chaak (also known as Smoking Squirrel).^[30] Lady Six Sky decided to place her five-year-old son, K’ak’ Tiliw Chan Chaak, on the throne of Naranjo.^[31] On 29 May 693, K’ak’ Tiliw Chan Chaak became the King of Naranjo.^[32] Lady Six Sky became the queen regent.^[33] Therefore, she never relinquished her power.^[34] Instead, King K’ak’ Tiliw Chan Chaak and Lady Six Sky would have a long partnership that lasted throughout his reign.^[35] Scholars believe that their partnership may have been uneasy because they often competed with each other for political influence.^[36]

The beginning of Lady Six Sky’s regency was often fraught with danger.^[37] Naranjo was surrounded by vassal cities that wanted to seize the opportunity to attack Naranjo.^[38] Lady Six Sky ordered Naranjo to attack and burn its own vassal cities.^[39] Archaeologists have examined one city that she burnt, called Bahlam Jol (located in northeast Guatemala and near the border of Belize).^[40] They found that the stelas that were erected during that time were smashed under Lady Six Sky’s orders.^[41] They also found that Naranjo did not just burn the cities but also trees, gardens, and fields so that they would not be able to grow for fifty years.^[42] Lady Six Sky captured elite hostages and had them executed.^[43] Archaeologists noticed that the other residents of Bahlam Jol were forcibly relocated to other parts of Naranjo’s territory.^[44] This showed that she forced her vassals to swear allegiance to her as the queen regent and also to swear allegiance to Calakmul.^[45]

Lady Six Sky also supervised pottery of superb quality. This helped foster King K’ak’ Tiliw Chan Chaak’s patronage of the arts.^[46]  Lady Six Sky also erected several stelas throughout her regency.^[47] In two of these stelas, Lady Six Sky is standing on top of naked captives.^[48] These two stelas depict her as a military queen.^[49] In these stelas, Lady Six Sky wore a beaded jade skirt and was dressed as the moon goddess.^[50]

In 728, King K’ak’ Tiliw Chan Chaak died of unknown causes.^[51] He was forty years old.^[52] He was succeeded by Yax Muyuy Chan Chaak, whom historians believe may have been his brother.^[53] Archaeologists speculate that the reason he was chosen was for Lady Six Sky to continue to maintain her power.^[54] For when Yax Muyuy Chan Chaak ascended the Naranjo throne, Lady Six Sky was still queen regent.^[55] Archaeologists believe that Lady Six Sky died on 10/11 February 741.^[56] She reigned for fifty-nine years.^[57]

Even though Lady Six Sky never declared herself as queen regnant, she was still very powerful as queen regent.^[58] It is speculated that Lady Six Sky and her son, King K’ak’ Tiliw Chan Chaak, had an uneasy relationship because they both competed for power.^[59] Lady Six Sky shows that she was a military queen and forced her vassals to swear allegiance to her.^[60] She acted out of Calakmul’s interests.^[61] It is no wonder that Lady Six Sky continues to fascinate archaeologists to this day.^[62]

Sources:

Alex, B. (2023). “Jungle Realm of the Snake Queens. Archeology, 76(1), 48-55.

Helmke, C. (2017). “‘The Heart and Stomach of a King’: A Study of the Regency of Lady Six Sky at Naranjo, Guatemala”. Contributions in New World Archeology, 11, 83-130.

Witschey, W. R. T. & Brown, C. T. (2012). Historical Dictionary of Mesoamerica. Plymouth, United Kingdom: Scarecrow Press.