Pre-Columbian sculpture found in Veracruz may depict female ruler

MND Staff
June 1, 2023



The remarkably well-preserved statue was uncovered during road paving work in Veracruz. (INAH)


A pre-Columbian sculpture has been discovered by residents of a Veracruz town on Tuesday that resembles one of Mexico’s most important recent archaeological findings, made in the same village of Amajac in January 2021.

The remarkably well-preserved statue was uncovered during road paving work and is believed to represent the same figure as the “young woman of Amajac.” The new discovery was presented to the public at a press conference on Wednesday hosted by local authorities and officials from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).



The statue will be cleaned and repaired before work begins on determining its origins – including the identity of the mysterious woman depicted. (INAH)

Standing 1.54 meters high and weighing between 200 and 250 kilograms, it is slightly smaller than the 2-meter-high previous find. But the two statues wear headdresses with very similar decorations, leading experts to hypothesize they are representations of the same figure, possibly a female Huasteca ruler.

“In Huasteca tradition, important characters appear in various relief images or sculptures, but always with an identifying attribute,” said Veracruz archaeologist María Eugenia Maldonado Vite. She referenced the case of 13 Conejo, a ruler whose depictions have been found at the archaeological site of El Tajín.

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Joven de Amajac 2021

The original “Young woman of Amajac,” assumed to be a depiction of the same person as the new find, was discovered in the area in 2021. It suggests that there was female leadership in the Huasteca culture. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)

More:
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/culture/pre-columbian-sculpture-found-veracruz-may-depict-female-ruler/