Some Maya rulers may have taken generations to attract subjects

Commoners may have played an unappreciated part in the rise of an ancient Maya royal dynasty.

Self-described “divine lords” at a Maya site called Tamarindito in what’s now Guatemala left glowing hieroglyphic tributes to themselves as heads of a powerful “Foliated Scroll” dynasty.

But new findings indicate that the bigwigs at Tamarindito spent many generations waiting for their subjects to show up, or perhaps hatching plans to attract followers, say archaeologist and epigrapher Markus Eberl of Vanderbilt University in Nashville and colleagues.

Tamarindito’s kings founded their capital by about the year 400 as a mere hamlet of perhaps a few dozen individuals, consisting of a royal court and a

→ Continue reading at Science News

More from author

Related posts

Advertisment

Latest posts

The Tantalizing Mystery of the Solar System’s Hidden Oceans

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine.For most of humankind’s existence, Earth was the only known ocean-draped world, seemingly unlike any...

The Role of Scholarships and Grants in Financing Education

Applying for scholarships and grants helps students pay for college. In some situations, these awards allow people to obtain a degree they wouldn't be...

EV, hybrid and gas-powered: Some interesting cars coming in 2024 | CNN Business

CNN  —  Next year will see the introduction of some new, genuinely affordable electric vehicles as well as...