Great kings hold a special place in history, given their deeds, actions, celebrated constructions, and the monuments commemorating their reign. The Caracol king, now known as K’an II, who reigned between ad 618 and 658, ushered in a period of prosperity for the kingdom. During this time, the monumental epicentre witnessed considerable construction works, as well as its integration with a series of satellite centres through a series of extensive causeways and the proliferation of tombs throughout the site attest to this period of affluence.

This workshop will focus on the hieroglyphic texts raised during the reign of K’an II, focusing on the diversity of historical narratives, their complementarity and the varied details that they each provide, at different points in the reign. Attendees will work in groups with a different selection of texts, the results of which will be presented in joint oral presentations at the close of the workshop. Prior attendance to a workshop on Maya epigraphy is required as well as a working knowledge of the calendar.  We will cater to intermediate-to-advanced levels. Glyphic texts and a selection of electronic reference materials will be provided at the onset of the workshop. Tutoring will be provided in English and Spanish (as well as Russian and Danish, upon request).  We look forward to your participation, so that we together may continue our exploration of the fascinating texts of K’an II.

The murals, sculptures and paintings found in the churches, monasteries and books of 16^th century New Spain constitute one of the richest sources to understanding not only the complex religious processes of hybridization of the early colonial period, but they also allow us to obtain glimpses of other aspects of the highly dynamic period following the conquest. Murals, as well as other kinds of religious art, were often composed and produced by indigenous artists, and although mainly following Euro-Christian models and prescripts, there are numerous examples of how the Christian images were adjusted and redesigned to make sense in and reflect the post-Columbian Mesoamerican world and reality, sometimes supplemented with images directly derived from pre-Columbian traditions. The workshop will first introduce the subject of “Indo-Christian” art as part of what can be called the visual evangelization and its theoretical and methodological background. We then turn to the mural programs of a selected number of Franciscan and Augustinian churches and monasteries from central Mexico and Yucatan, among them Malinalco, Culhuacan, Ixmiquilpan, Actopan, Xoxoteco and Izamal. Other topics discussed will be the apparent intentional re-use of pre-Columbian sculpture fragments in church façades and monastery walls (known as spolia) and the spectacular atrium crosses.

The workshop will consist of a series of presentations by the tutors, as well as a number of hands-on practical exercises. Attendance requires no previous experience with colonial iconography.

En este taller analizaremos la tradición oral ixil, sus diferentes géneros y su relación con la cosmovisión e historia del pueblo ixil, en especial el del municipio de Chajul. Haremos también un análisis comparativo con los mitos y tradiciones de otros pueblos mayas, especialmente el k’iche’, y el maya yucateco. Tocaremos también brevemente el complejo tema de su relación con los textos e iconografía del periodo maya clásico. Los participantes trabajarán con textos en ixil con su respectiva tradición española y tendrán oportunidad de experimentar a través del discurso oral ixil, los vínculos profundos entre palabra, historia y cultura entre los pueblos mayas de hoy.

El taller se impartirá en español con explicaciones en inglés para quien lo necesite.

In this workshop we will examine the oral traditions of the Ixil Maya people of Guatemala, their discourse genres and their relationship with Ixil history and worldview, especially those of the township of Chajul. We will do a comparative analysis with the myths and oral tradition of other Maya peoples, especially the K’iche’ and the Yucatec Maya. We will briefly touch upon the complex intertextualities between them and Classic Maya inscriptions and iconography. Participants will directly engage texts in Ixil with their respective Spanish translation. They will have the opportunity to experience through our Ixil materials, the profound connection between language, history and culture among Maya peoples today.

The workshop will be held in Spanish with English explanations for participants who request it.

This workshop will provide participants with an introduction to the sources, cultural materials and documentation of the 180-year-long history of conquest and colonial military encounters between the Maya and the Spanish conquistadors.  By examining documents in translation, originally written in Spanish and various Maya languages, the workshop will enable students to better understand the nature, styles of warfare, weapons, and military and conquest organization of the Spanish and Maya peoples who met in a series of violent conflicts which spanned close to two centuries.  As opposed to the rapid conquest of the Aztecs which occurred in large scale battles and encounters, the conquest of the Maya region involved protracted guerilla warfare lasting for generations which brought great suffering to both sides in these conflicts.

The workshop will provide a general introduction to the nature of the types of warfare waged by both groups, and also examine the Maya and Spanish cultural practices related to warfare. A major focus will be on the analysis of various types of documents and artifacts related to warfare from both the Spanish and the greater Maya World for both beginners and specialists alike. Although the course sessions will be taught primarily in English, all of the documents will be in either Spanish or Maya languages (with English language translations provided).

Requirements: Previous training on the subject is not required. However, some knowledge of Spanish and/or a Maya language would be helpful. Laptops are recommended.

Language: The Workshop will be conducted in English (with sources in translation, along with examples from both Spanish and Maya colonial documents).