Lady Six Sky was a Maya royal princess and daughter of King B’alaj Chan K’awiil, ruler of Dos Pilas. In 682 CE, she was sent by her father to Naranjo (located in present-day Guatemala), where the local royal bloodline had been destroyed when that lineage was conquered by a more powerful polity. Lady Six Sky was tasked with breathing new life into Naranjo and reestablishing a royal dynasty. Though she was never formally crowned as Naranjo’s queen, she governed for about a decade, until her son, K’ak’ Tiliw Chan Chaak, ascended the throne at the age of five, and appears to have acted as his regent for many more years during his childhood.

Unlike other Maya women rulers, Lady Six Sky was in the unique position of having stone monuments erected during her lifetime, which recorded her successes and showcased the significant power she held. Two depictions portray her standing on top of bound captives in the style of a warrior king, while another pictures Lady Six Sky’s accession to the throne.

While her son was king, she also engaged in diplomacy and orchestrated victorious military campaigns against neighboring polities, which expanded Naranjo’s territory, and her skillful leadership positioned Naranjo as a center of power during the golden age of Maya civilization.