Tomb of the Red Queen

The Tomb of the Red Queen is a high-status Maya burial located within Temple XIII at the archaeological site of Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico. The interment is notable for the reddish appearance of the remains caused by a cinnabar coating and is dated to the Late Classic period.

A small, sealed burial chamber containing human remains and funerary offerings, discovered within the masonry of Temple XIII. The reddish residue of cinnabar on bones and artifacts is the defining visual feature, and the tomb sits close to the larger funerary complex that includes the Tomb of Pakal.

The tomb was sealed in antiquity and exposed during archaeological excavations in the modern period; it contained grave goods and human remains consistent with elite Maya burial practice. The burial has been the subject of osteological and archaeological study to better understand Palenque’s dynastic history.

Situated in the core of the Palenque archaeological zone in the Lacandon Jungle of Chiapas, the tomb is part of the cluster of temples and palaces that form the site’s central ceremonial area.

• Cinnabar coating: The skeletal remains were found coated with powdered cinnabar (mercury sulfide), which gave the burial its popular name.
• Period and status: The burial dates to the Late Classic Maya period, generally placed in the 6th to 7th centuries AD, and is considered a high-status interment near the tomb of K'inich Janaab' Pakal.

What to See #

• Burial chamber: A small, sealed burial chamber located within Temple XIII at the Palenque archaeological site, containing skeletal remains and associated grave goods. The chamber is adjacent to the larger funerary architecture of the site.
• Temple XIII: Temple XIII, a masonry temple structure that sits close to the Temple of the Inscriptions and contains the vaulted chamber where the Red Queen was interred during the Late Classic period.