When American women had equal rights.(or so it seems). [View All]

Oct 4, 11:55 PM EDT

Archaeologists find likely queen tomb in Guatemala

By ROMINA RUIZ-GOIRIENA
Associated Press

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) -- <snip>


"The royal tomb shows that women have been leaders in the past and we must now assume and exercise political participation to strengthen the role of women in the new era," Rosa Maria Chan, deputy minister for cultural and natural heritage, said in the statement.

K'abel, considered the greatest ruler of the Late Classic period, ruled with her husband, K'inich Bahlam, for at least 20 years in the 7th century, Freidel said. She was the military governor of the Waka kingdom for her family, the imperial house of the Snake King, and she carried the title "Kaloomte" - translated as "Supreme Warrior," higher in authority than her husband, the king.

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"She has been given all the honors a male king would have been given," Canuto said. "It's not the first such tomb discovered, but it gives an idea of the important role women played in forging dynastic alliances, and the status they enjoyed."

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"People like Lady K'abel show there were examples of extraordinary women that were able to position themselves in powerful roles, were incredibly successful and were accepted by society," Ardren said.

Lots more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_GUATEMALA_MAYA_QUEEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-10-04-23-55-08


In the a similar vein, though having nothing to do with equal opportunity or Mayans per se:

As most know, preparing an astrology chart for an individual starts with knowing the position of the sun, moon and stars at the place and time of that individual's birth. Today, that step and others are done by computer programs and the astrologer gives his or her interpretation of the placements.

An astrologer once said to me, "We tend to assume that we have become smarter in every area. However, in Caesar's time, astrologers simply looked up at the sky."