Sak K’uk is the most elusive among the four “queens” because her times were steeped in turmoil. Lakam Ha suffered a terrible defeat in 611 CE at the hands of Kalakmul (Kan, Uxte’tun) in collusion with Usihwitz (Bonampak). In my story, Sak K’uk plays a decisive role in shepherding her city through this devastation by drawing upon the powers of the Great Primordial Goddess, Progenitor of the B’aakal dynasty, Muwaan Mat. For this fresh and inspiring interpretation, I give thanks to Gerardo Aldana in his 2007 book, The Apotheosis of Janaab’ Pakal: Science, History, and Religion at Classic Maya Palenque. Sak K’uk becomes the earthly presence of Muwaan Mat and rules for three years, until her son Pakal accedes at age 12. She continued to guide and advise him well into his reign.
The 611 CE attack took place during the rule of Aj Ne Ohl Mat, and it was devastating. The attackers planned to destroy the sacred shrine of Lakam Ha, the portal through which rulers communicated with the Triad Deities. The portal collapsed as the shrine was defiled. Both the ruler Aj Ne and his father Hun Pakal were taken captive and later killed by Kan. Pakal was 8 years old when this happened, and it surely left a deep impression. The glyphs in the Temple of the Inscriptions written later under Pakal’s direction tell a plaintive tale:
“On the back of the ninth katun, god was lost; ahau was lost. She could not adorn the Gods of the First Sky; she could not give offerings . . . Muwaan Mat could not give their offerings.”
Sak K’uk and her husband Kan Mo' Hix took over leadership during these dark years, but dissention among nobles challenged their position. To consolidate power, Sak K’uk assumed the mantle of Muwaan Mat and held the throne until Pakal acceded. Some Mayanists think Sak K’uk and Muwaan Mat were different names for the same individual, others that Muwaan Mat was actually a man. Some believe Sak K’uk was never a ruler. From this maelstrom of disagreement I selected one stream to follow, the story told in this novel of their extraordinary co-regency.
The life work of Pakal was re-creating the portal to the gods and rebuilding the city, bringing Lakam Ha to its height as the creative, political and spiritual center of the polity. What most visitors see now when they walk the Great Plaza of Palenque are the structures built by Pakal and his sons and grandson.
Names of ancient Maya cities posed challenges. Spanish explorers or international archeologists assigned most of the commonly used names. Many original city names have been deciphered, however, and I use these whenever they exist. Some cities have conflicting names, so I chose the one that made sense to me. The rivers were even more problematic. Many river names are my own creation, using Mayan words that best describe their characteristics. I provide a list of contemporary names for cities and rivers along with the Mayan names used in the story.
Notes on Orthography (Pronunciation)
Orthography involves how to spell and pronounce Mayan words in another language such as English or Spanish. The initial approach used English-based alphabets with a romance language sound for vowels:
Hun – Hoon
Ne – Nay
Xoc – Shoke
Ix – Eesh
Ik – Eek
Yohl – Yole
Mat – Maat
May – Maie
Sak – Sahk
Ahau – Ah-how
Yum – Yoom
Ek – Ehk
Consonants of note are:
H – Him
J – Jar
X – “sh”
T – Tz or Dz
Ch – Child
Mayan glottalized sounds are indicated by an apostrophe, and pronounced with a break in sound made in the back of the throat:
B’aakal
K’uk
Ik’nal
Ka’an
Tz’ak
Later the Spanish pronunciations took precedence. The orthography standardized by the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala is used by most current Mayanists. The major difference is how H and J sound:
H – practically silent, only a soft aspiration as in hombre (ombray)
J – soft “h” as in house or Jose (Hosay)
There is some thought among linguists that the ancient Maya had different sounds for “h” and “j” leading to more dilemma. Many places, roads, people’s names and other vocabulary have been pronounced for years in the old system. The Guatemala approach is less used in Mexico, and many words in my book are taken from Yucatek Mayan. So, I’ve decided to keep the Hun spelling rather than Jun for the soft “h.” But for Pakal, I’ve resorted to Janaab rather than Hanab, the older spelling. I have an intuition that his name was meant by the ancient Mayas to have the harder “j” of English; this gives a more powerful sound.
For the Mayan word Lord – Ahau – I use the older spelling. You will see it written Ahaw and Ajaw in different publications. For English speakers, Ahau leads to natural pronunciation of the soft “h” and encourages a longer ending sound with the “u” rather than “w.”
Scholarly tradition uses the word Maya to modify most nouns, such as Maya people and Maya sites, except when referring to language and writing, when Mayan is used instead. Ordinary usage is flexible, however, with Mayan used more broadly as in Mayan civilization or Mayan astronomy. I follow this latter approach in my writing.
Other Works By Author
The Visionary Mayan Queen: Yohl Ik'nal of Palenque
Mists of Palenque Series Book I
In misty tropical jungles 1500 years ago, a royal Mayan girl with visionary powers – Yohl Ik’nal – was destined to become the first Mayan woman ruler. Last of her royal lineage, her accession would fulfill her father's ambitions. Yohl Ik'nal put aside personal desires and the comfortable world of palace women to prepare as royal heir. Love for her father steeled her will and sharpened her skills. As she underwent intensive training for rulership, powerful forces allied to overthrow the dynasty and plotted with enemy cities to attack.
As the first Queen of Palenque, she built temples to honor her father and her Gods, protected her city and brought prosperity to the people. Her visionary powers foresaw enemy attack and prevented defeat. In the midst of betrayal and revenge, through court intrigues and power struggles, she guided her people wisely and found a love that sustained her. As a seer, she knew times of turmoil were coming and succession to the throne was far from certain. Could she prepare her headstrong daughter for rulership or help her weak son become a charismatic leader? Her actions could lead to ruin or bring her city to greatness.
Centuries later Francesca, part-Mayan archeologist, helps her team at Palenque excavate the royal burial of a crimson skeleton, possibly the first Mayan queen's tomb ever discovered. She never anticipated how it would impact her life and unravel a web of ancient bonds.
Praise from readers:
"Spellbinding, exciting and beautifully paints a picture (of) the world of the ancient royal Mayan Queens."
- S. Malbeouf
"A page turner . . . draws the reader in with the drama of the era. . . One can smell the incense, feel the tension, share the spirituality, experience the battles, and live the lives of the characters."
- H. and N. Rath
". . . vibrant storytelling, strong dialogue and authentic characters . . . that ring true to the Mayan culture. . . stunning job of keeping this story fast-paced, compelling, emotional and engaging to the very end."
- S. Gallardo
Dreaming the Maya Fifth Sun: A Novel of Maya Wisdom and the 2012 Shift in Consciousness
The lives of two women, one modern and one an ancient Maya priestess, weave together as the end of the Mayan calendar approaches in 2012. ER nurse Jana Sinclair’s recurring dream compels her journey to jungle-shrouded Mayan ruins where she discovers links with ancient priestess Yalucha, who was mandated to hide her people’s esoteric wisdom from the Spaniards. Jana’s reluctant husband is swept into strange experiences and opposes Jana’s quest. Risking everything, Jana follows her inner guidance and returns to Mexico to unravel her dream. In the Maya lands, dark shamanic f
orces attempt to deter her and threaten her life.
Ten centuries earlier, Yalucha’s life unfolds as a healer at Tikal where she faces heartbreak when her beloved, from an enemy city, is captured. Later in another incarnation at Uxmal, she again encounters him but circumstances thwart their relationship. She journeys to Chichén Itzá to join other priests and priestesses in a ritual profoundly important to future times.
As the calendar counts down to December 21, 2012, Jana answers the call across centuries to re-enact the mystical ritual that will birth the new era, confronting shamanic powers and her husband’s ultimatum – and activates forces for healing that reach into the past as well as the future.
Fans of historical fiction with adventure and romance will love this story of an ancient Maya Priestess and contemporary woman who unravel secret bonds to fulfill the Maya prophecy that can make the difference for the planet's future.
Praise for Dreaming the Maya Fifth Sun:
“Travel through time and space to ancient Maya realms. . details are accurate, giving insight into Maya magic and mysticism and bringing their message of the new era to come.”
– Aum-Rak Sapper, Maya Priestess and Daykeeper
“Few people have listened to this call and made pilgrimage to ancient Maya centers, but many will follow . . to serve the planet in the Fifth Solar Cycle.”
– Hunbatz Men, Itza Maya Elder, Daykeeper and Shaman
“. . power-house historical novel . .unlocks (Mayan) civilization. . This well documented book is spellbinding, romantic, thought provoking and gives an insightful look into the spiritual side of ancient Mayas...a must read!”
– J. Grimsrud, Maya travel guide
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The Controversial Mayan Queen: Sak K'uk of Palenque (The Mists of Palenque) Page 31