It's worse than that- it's downright stated she did leave the capital, she went to a past Hanu reed festival where Gulool Ja Ja was the one riding the float. Imagine going abroad to attend a festival- as part of an important political committee no less- and not even knowing how to greet the locals. Even if she were very young (and we know she couldn't have been younger than 5/6, since that's when she was adopted), you'd have been taught this. By her own account, the festival is a fond memory of hers (to the point she expressed she wished she could be the one riding the float one day). So how did she forget such a basic thing? I have Quebecois family and I was taught some very basic French greetings when I was 4 or 5 and I still remember it 28 years later.
She's written like an absolute bleeding idiot- none of her characterization of past story makes sense.
It becomes worse when you realize her father is a storied warrior, ruler and peace-maker. Really, you're telling me Gulool Ja Ja didn't share stories of his past adventures and exploits with his children? That, thought he's a pacifist with a dream of unification, he didn't lecture his children on the different cultures and regions he visited and united? On his past battle and exploits, and how he leveraged his knowledge of local customs and understanding of their issues and aspirations to bring lasting peace?
People who have relatives- like a grandfather or an uncle who fought in a large war- know how, sometimes, they share their war stories, often as a cautionary tale. It violently strains my belief that DT somehow makes it seem that this was never really the case with Wuk Lamat beyond the very superficial story she recounts from the murals. Like, needing to "rediscover" the history behind Xibruq Pibil... did Gulool Ja Ja, the pacifist, ever tell this tale? This sounds exactly like what he should lean on to show the way to peace needn't be bought through force of arms alone. Did she never ask him? Did neither other two siblings? I dunno... my family had a much less remarkable past and I still asked them about their stories. And they paint Gulool Ja Ja as this warm, approachable fellow too. I can't make sense of this in my head. Probably because it's all terrible writing![]()