29^th European Maya Conference: Perugia, Italy

“COLOUR IN MESOAMERICA”

October 7^th to 13^th 2024

The 29^th Annual European Maya Conference is organised by Wayeb – the European Association of Mayanists – in cooperation with the Centro Studi Americanistici “Circolo Amerindiano” – in Perugia, Italy. The conference will begin with an introductory lecture on Monday 7^th October, followed by three-and-a-half-days of workshops (8^th–11^th October), with an afternoon off (with extracurricular activities planned, to be announced) on Friday 11^th October, and concluding with a two-day symposium held from Saturday 12^th October to Sunday 13^th October 2024, in the Sala dei Notari at Palazzo dei Priori in Perugia.

The theme for the 29^th European Maya Conference is COLOUR IN MESOAMERICA. The topic will be explored from a variety of perspectives, taking into account the time-depth and cultural and geographic expanse of Mesoamerica.

During this conference, we will explore questions concerning the use and perception of colour in Mesoamerica, including, but not limited to:

• What were (and are) the sources for different colours in Mesoamerica?
• What colours were used to paint buildings and monuments, and were all of them painted in the past?
• How do we know what colours looked like during pre-Hispanic times?
• What, if any, has been the impact of the limited survival of colour in a variety of contexts across Mesoamerica on contemporary perceptions of the past?
• How was (and is) colour perceived and represented in the art and writing systems in different eras from pre-Hispanic to modern times?
• Have there been any discrepancies in perceptions of colour between indigenous groups, between indigenous groups and colonisers, or between indigenous groups and non-local scholars over time?
• What kind of colour terminology do Mesoamerican languages use and why?
• What kind of potential symbolic meanings do different colours hold and how, if at all, have these changed over time?

The theme of the conference will be approached from various disciplinary points of view – including (but not restricted to) anthropology, archaeology, biology, chemistry, epigraphy, history, iconography, linguistics, and psychology – as well as interdisciplinary approaches exploring the intersection of these disciplinary perspectives.

Submission of abstracts

The Wayeb Conference Board invites the submission of abstracts concerning the conference theme Colour in Mesoamerica presented above under the headline Call for Papers. Submissions from a variety of perspectives and sub-disciplines of Mesoamerican Studies are encouraged. Presentations in English and Spanish will be accepted. Abstracts may not exceed 250 words.

Contributions of authors who submit more than one abstract including co-authored papers will not be considered and co-authorship must be indicated upon submission.

Please submit in electronic format (e.g. Word) in the following order:

1. Author’s name and affiliation
2. Address, phone number, and email address
3. Title of paper
4. Abstract

Please submit your full application to callforpapers@wayeb.org

Abstracts will be forwarded without the author’s particulars to an anonymous Review Committee that will be selected by the Wayeb Conference Board. Therefore, it is imperative that submissions are ONLY sent to the above address. Submissions may not be made to conference organisers nor any other members of Wayeb. Submissions sent to any address other than the above will be immediately disqualified.

The (extended) deadline for the Call for Papers is May 14th, 2024. Decisions will be sent to the candidates by July 5th.

NB: Russian and Belarusian colleagues are welcome to attend and present at the conference but must attend as individuals, without institutional affiliation of their countries.

For more information, please contact the Wayeb Conference Board ConferenceBoard@wayeb.org