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28-652: Naranjo is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site in Guatemala. Naranjo may also refer to: Naranjo "Naranjo" in Spanish means "orange tree", which is a Spanish translation of the Mayan name Wak Kab'nal . The emblem glyph of the Naranjo is transliterated as Sa'aal “the place where (maize) gruel abounds.” The Naranjo dynastic rulers are said to be the "Holy Lords of Sa'aal." The area of Naranjo covers at least 8 km with

56-621: A captive from the small polity of K'inichil Kab. Stela 29 from November 17, 714, also shows her standing on a captive, though it is too eroded to make out the captive's name or place of origin. Besides K'inichil Kab, she was involved in the sacking of at least nine other polities, and she waged a victorious war against the Komkom polity in April 726, according to Stela 18. Her son K'ak' Tiliw Chan Chaak and future Naranjo leader Yax Mayuy Chan Chaak were also both involved. On Stela 24, she also appears dressed in

84-461: A hiatus period, but by 680 Caracol had apparently recovered and eliminated K'ahk' Xiiw. In 682 AD, Calakmul sent Wak Chanil Ajaw (Lady Six Sky}, possibly Ix Wak Chan Jalam Lem in ancient Maya, to reestablish the Naranjo dynasty. Her arrival is written on Stela 24 found in front of Structure C-7. Lady Six Sky was the daughter of the Dos Pilas ruler Bʼalaj Chan Kʼawiil . While never officially made

112-576: A method of counting moon phases that spread during the Period of Uniformity; during this time, Glyph C values across the Maya area remained consistent. She had a penchant for celebrating the rare "Tikal Cycle" period endings which happened on #.#.3.0.0 days of the Maya Long Count calendar; she celebrated 9.13.3.0.0 (March 1, 695) and 9.14.3.0.0 (November 17, 714), both memorialized on Stela 29. She also supervised

140-408: A natural hill with a cave located inside, it is a perfect place to be categorized as a ‘sacred mountain’. A hieroglyphic stairway, that is believed to have been taken from Caracol, was added to structure B-18 sometime in the seventh century AD. The site was first mapped and photographed by Teoberto Maler in 1905, who was sent by The Peabody Museum of Harvard University . In 1908 Maler excavated

168-427: A power vacuum. Her husband's name appears on Naranjo Stela 46. Though the reading is not yet fully deciphered, it was something like K'ak' U ? Chan Chaak . During her time in Naranjo, she presumably served as ruler of the city, though in text (such as on stelae 24 and 29), she still carried the title of Holy Lady of Dos Pilas. A little more than five years after her arrival, on January 6, 688, she gave birth to

196-444: A ruler, Lady Six Sky performed as a ruler, possibly as regent for her son Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Chaak who acceded in 693 AD at the age of five. This relationship is made explicit on Naranjo Stela 46. Between 693 and 698 AD Naranjo carried out a series of at least eight attacks, likely under the auspices of Lady Six Sky, defeating Tikal in 695 AD and Ucanal in 698 AD. K'ak' Tiliw Chan Chaak began another series of attacks in 706 AD including

224-517: A son, the future king of Naranjo Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Chaak . His birth is commemorated among other high points of the queen's life on stelae 24 and 29. For many years, scholars debated if K'ak' Tiliw was her son or not, but the more recently discovered Stela 46, which was discovered in 2017, includes a definitive relationship statement between the two. He became a five-year-old king, and his mother Lady Six Sky ruled as his regent. Their relationship may have been an uneasy one; Christophe Helmke notes that

252-426: Is described as ub'aah (short for ub'aahila'n ) ti yax k'uh, "she is portrayed as the first god," meaning she was seen as literally serving as a vessel for this god. On the side of Stela 24, this ritual is described in more detail; here the god is referred to as the moon goddess despite the net skirt which was worn mostly by men. This ritual took place on April 17, 699. According to Stela 47, she also impersonated

280-649: The 1960s, when many of the site's large sculptures were smashed into fragments by looters in order to sneak them out of the country. In 1972-1973, 19 stela were taken from Naranjo by the Department of Prehispanic Monuments of the IDAEH to be protected from looters. From 1997 to 2001 the site was controlled by looters. From 2002 to 2004, a project was undertaken to evaluate the extent of the looting which found about 270 tunnels and trenches. Archaeologist Vilma Fialko has been instrumental in this project. A conservation project by

308-465: The 38th head of Naranjo's government, whereas it should count him as the 39th if Six Sky were included. Tatiana Proskouriakoff first recognized the name of the queen in the 1960s during her pioneering studies of the historical side of Maya inscriptions. She nicknamed the queen "Lady of Tikal " because of the use of the Mutal emblem glyph; it was not until later that scholars realized more than one city used

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336-529: The Ministry of Culture and Sport began in 2002. In 2006 Naranjo was added to the World Monuments Watch. In 2013, a building from about 600 AD was found at nearby Holmul with a giant stucco frieze showing a central ruler and two flanking ones in repose. The frieze is very well preserved. Below it runs a long inscription from which it appears that the construction was commissioned by Aj Wosal of Naranjo. At

364-576: The behest of her father. She was part of an arranged marriage between the Maya cities of Dos Pilas and Naranjo (in modern Guatemala ) to bring Naranjo into the Calakmul –Dos Pilas alliance. This may have been a direct response to Tikal 's recent defeat of Calakmul. Little is known about her husband, though he may have been a low-status cousin of the previous king, K’ahk’ Xiiw Chan Chaahk . This king had been defeated two years earlier by Caracol , leaving

392-535: The city; however, monuments such as Stela 24 suggest she was never formally recognized as such, since she continued to use the emblem glyph of Dos Pilas throughout her life. Because the reading of her name is currently contested, scholars typically refer to her as Lady Six Sky, which is the English translation of a readable portion of her name ( Wak Chan meaning Six Sky). Monuments that refer to Lady Six Sky include Naranjo stelae 3, 18, 24, 29, 31, and 46. Lady Six Sky

420-426: The defeat of Yaxha in 710 AD. Lady Six Sky died in 741 AD. She is depicted on stelae including 3, 18, 24, 29, and 31. Naranjo was defeated by Tikal in 744 AD and the ruler, Yax Mayuy Chan Chaak , was taken captive and likely sacrificed during Tikal's victory celebrations. However, this wasn't the end of the city's written history. Later kings include Itzamnaaj? K'awiil, who fought against Yaxha and, in 790, repaved

448-515: The hieroglyphic stairway from structure B-18, parts of which are now housed in the British Museum in London. In the 1910s, further investigations of the site were made by Sylvanus G. Morley and Oliver Ricketson . Investigations of the site of Xunantunich suggests that it was part of Naranjo's realm. By the 1920s, many of the ancient sculptures had already disappeared. The problem worsened in

476-401: The monument; here, his presence at important events, including a star war with Komkom , are used to imply his fitness to rule. He may have been a younger brother of K'ak' Tiliw Chan Chaak. A name that is probably hers appears in reference to a scattering ritual at Dos Pilas on February 10 or 11, 741; this may be the date of her death, though this fact is contested. Despite never receiving

504-452: The moon goddess on February 9, 726, which was the Maya new year, following the 260-day sacred calendar. When K'ahk' Tiliw Chan Chaak was about 13, his mother was the one who publicly celebrated the half-k'atun anniversary of 9.14.10.0.0 (October 11, 721) with the erection of Stela 24, suggesting she was serving as his regent at that time. However, she may never have been the formal head of government; Stela 24 described K’ak’ Tiliw Chan Chaak as

532-405: The net skirt of the maize god , another uncommon trait for women. She may have taken the name "Six" because of its association with the maize god, though she also emphasized her relationship with the moon goddess. The combination of maize god and moon goddess symbolism may have been a deliberate message that the ruler was capable of both masculine and feminine roles. For example, on Stela 24, she

560-549: The north of Naranjo were involved in the establishment of the new political order in Peten after the arrival of Sihyaj K’ahk' in AD 378. It is plausible to assume that Naranjo might also be under the sway of Sihyaj Kʼahk's hegemony and later Tikal rulers. If there were any monuments from that time, they were destroyed and/or cached. In 546 AD Naranjo came under the control of Calakmul whose ruler Tuun Kab Hix appointed Ah Wosaaj Chan Kʼinich. This

588-403: The production of high-quality pottery, a trend which continued during the rule of her son, who became known as Pure (or White) Artisan for his patronage of the arts. Additionally, she is shown on monuments taking on the role of a warrior-king by standing over a trampled captive, an unusual representation for a woman. Naranjo Stela 24 from April 17, 699, is one such depiction; there, she stands on

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616-399: The queen erected monuments that centered herself as ruler well into K'ak' Tiliw Chan Chaak's adulthood, suggesting that she competed with him for power and influence. K'ak' Tiliw Chan Chaak died of unknown causes in his early forties, and Lady Six Sky seems to have promoted a new ruler, Yax Mayuy Chan Chaak . This ruler appears on Naranjo Stela 18 in text that was probably a late addition to

644-551: The road established by Ah Wosaaj, according to Altar 2. Naranjo's final abandonment may have been the result of political turmoil and a severe drought dated to 810 AD. Wak Chanil Ajaw Lady Six Sky (possibly Ix Wak Chan Jalam Ajaw Lem? in ancient Mayan ), also known as Lady Wac Chanil Ahau or Wak Chanil Ajaw (d. 741 CE), was a Maya queen of Naranjo who was born in Dos Pilas . She lived in Naranjo from 682 to her death (or shortly before her death) in 741. During that time, she probably served as de facto ruler of

672-513: The time, Naranjo was subordinated to the Kaanul dynasty of Dzibanche and Calakmul . The history of Naranjo includes several major disturbances in the dynastic rule when allegiances and identities of local kings were subject to change. Texts at the site record a mythical founding of the city by its patron god. Not much is known about the site before the ruler Ah Wosaaj Chan Kʼinich who came to power in 546 AD. The sites of La Sufricaya and Holmul to

700-493: The title Holy Lady of Naranjo, Lady Six Sky commissioned monuments in Naranjo that note she performed important rituals, some shortly after her arrival. For example, Stela 29 describes a burning ritual on August 31, 682, just three days after her arrival in Naranjo. But her early days in Naranjo may have been beset by rival claims to the throne, and she did not begin seriously commissioning monuments until almost two decades into her rule. That said, she may have been responsible for

728-456: The urban center covering about 2.25 km . There are currently 389 recorded buildings in the central area and over 900 around the center. The epicenter consists of six triadic complexes , two ballcourts, two palace compounds, and one E-group . C-9 is the largest triadic complex in the city. Structure C-9 is the complexes main pyramid, and the Largest at the site. Because it occupies the top of

756-466: Was a deliberate move by Calakmul to take allies away from Tikal . Ah Wosaaj was involved in infrastructure improvements to the city such as the paving of a road in July 559, according to Altar 2. In 626 two attacks were made on Naranjo by Caracol . Naranjo was then retaken by Calakmul in 631. During the administration of K'ahk' Xiiw Chan Chaahk , Naranjo defeated Caracol in a " star war " sending Caracol into

784-458: Was the daughter of B'alaj Chan K'awiil of Dos Pilas and a woman who may have been named Lady B'ulu  ? or Lady B'uluka'l. Though Lady B'ulu was not B'alaj Chan K'awiil's first wife, she carried the prestigious title ochk'in kalo'mte (loosely, "western autocrat") on Stela 24, suggesting a high level of political power. In 682 CE, Lady Six Sky arrived in Naranjo to establish a new dynasty at

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