27th European Maya Conference: Cracow, Poland
MAPPING MESOAMERICA
November 28th to December 3rd 2022
The 27th Annual European Maya Conference is co-organised by the European Association of Mayanists (Wayeb) together with the Jagiellonian University in Cracow. The conference will begin with an opening keynote talk on Monday November 28th, followed by three-day workshops, and concludes with a two-day symposium held from Friday December 2nd to Saturday December 3rd 2022 at the Jagiellonian University Conference Center “Auditorium Maximum.”
The theme for the 27th European Maya Conference is Mapping Mesoamerica. The topic will be explored from a variety of perspectives and disciplines, taking into account the time-depth and cultural and geographic expanse of Mesoamerica. Among others, we would like to present the results of recent research focused on the mapping of the Maya area, and other parts of Mesoamerica, with a particular emphasis on LiDAR technology. LiDAR has revolutionized our perception of settlement patterns, demography, and the scale of landscape modification during pre-Columbian times. LiDAR and other modern mapping techniques have facilitated higher-resolution documentation of ancient structures, roads, agricultural terraces, water reservoirs, etc. They have also helped uncover many natural features that were used by ancient communities (such as caves and cenotes). During this conference, we will attempt to answer questions concerning the nature of settlements in Mesoamerica, the scale of human interaction and its impact on the local environment. This conference will also address another important topic: how space and landscape were perceived and represented in the art and writing systems of inhabitants during the pre-Hispanic and Colonial periods. The theme of the conference will be approached from various disciplinary points of view – including archaeology, cartography, historical geography, toponymy, art history, epigraphy, and linguistics – as well as interdisciplinary perspectives exploring the intersection of these disciplinary approaches.
The main topic is broken down into the following subthemes:
– Modern mapping technologies (e.g., LiDAR)
– Perception of place and space by ancient Mesoamericans
– Maps in Colonial Mesoamerica
– Epigraphic and iconographic representations of landscape, place, and space in pre-Hispanic and Colonial sources
The conference is funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education under the project “27th European Maya Conference” No. DNK/SN/550752/2022.
NB: The conference will be realized fully in-person due to technical obstacles. However, after a long enforced period of remote conferences, we are looking forward to being able to meet everyone in real life again! Please excuse us if you are unable to join us in person. Nevertheless, symposium talks and aspects of the workshops will be published, enabling you to enjoy the fruits of the EMC in a written format in the near future!
Symposium
02-03 December 2022
The 27th Annual European Maya Conference is co-organised by the European Association of Mayanists (Wayeb) together with the Jagiellonian University in Cracow. The conference will begin with an opening keynote talk on Monday November 28th, followed by three-day workshops, and concludes with a two-day symposium held from Friday December 2nd to Saturday December 3rd 2022 at the Jagiellonian University Conference Center “Auditorium Maximum.”
The theme for the 27th European Maya Conference is Mapping Mesoamerica. The topic will be explored from a variety of perspectives and disciplines, taking into account the time-depth and cultural and geographic expanse of Mesoamerica. Among others, we would like to present the results of recent research focused on the mapping of the Maya area, and other parts of Mesoamerica, with a particular emphasis on LiDAR technology. LiDAR has revolutionized our perception of settlement patterns, demography, and the scale of landscape modification during pre-Columbian times. LiDAR and other modern mapping techniques have facilitated higher-resolution documentation of ancient structures, roads, agricultural terraces, water reservoirs, etc. They have also helped uncover many natural features that were used by ancient communities (such as caves and cenotes). During this conference, we will attempt to answer questions concerning the nature of settlements in Mesoamerica, the scale of human interaction and its impact on the local environment. This conference will also address another important topic: how space and landscape were perceived and represented in the art and writing systems of inhabitants during the pre-Hispanic and Colonial periods. The theme of the conference will be approached from various disciplinary points of view – including archaeology, cartography, historical geography, toponymy, art history, epigraphy, and linguistics – as well as interdisciplinary perspectives exploring the intersection of these disciplinary approaches.
The main topic is broken down into the following subthemes:
– Modern mapping technologies (e.g., LiDAR)
– Perception of place and space by ancient Mesoamericans
– Maps in Colonial Mesoamerica
– Epigraphic and iconographic representations of landscape, place and space in pre-Hispanic and Colonial sources
List of Speakers:
Harri Kettunen (University of Helsinki), Panos Kratimenos (University College London), Jarosław Źrałka (Jagiellonian University), Dorota Bojkowska (Jagiellonian University) – Mapping Mesoamerica: An Introduction to the Theme of This Year’s EMC
Takeshi Inomata (University of Arizona) – Maya Ethnogenesis Seen through High- and Low-resolution Lidar
Marcello A. Canuto (Tulane University), Luke Auld-Thomas (Tulane University) – Beyond the Beautiful Site Map: Toward Large-scale Modeling of Lowland Maya Settlement Patterns
Thomas G. Garrison (University of Texas at Austin), J. Dennis Baldwin (University of Texas at Austin), Stephen Houston (Brown University), Rafael Cambranes (Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala) – Paths through the Palimpsest: Building Chronology from Lidar-based Survey in the Buenavista Valley, Guatemala
Milan Kováč (Comenius University of Bratislava), Marek Bundzel (Comenius University of Bratislava), Tibor Lieskovský (Comenius University of Bratislava), Jakub Špoták (Comenius University of Bratislava), Lucia Chvaštulová (Comenius University of Bratislava) – Automated Creation of Maps of Maya Cities Using Neural Networks Based on LiDAR Data
Felix A. Kupprat (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Kathryn Reese-Taylor (University of Calgary), F. C. Atasta Flores Esquivel (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Armando Anaya Hernández (Universidad Autónoma de Campeche), Nicholas P. Dunning (University of Cincinnati), Debra S. Walker (University of Florida), Verónica A. Vázquez López (Tulane University), Adriana Velázquez Morlet (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia) – Settlement Patterns in the Bajo Laberinto Region in a Multiscalar and Diachronic Perspective
Paul Graf (University of Bonn) – The Maya under the Surface: An Integrated Approach for the Detection of Invisible Settlements in the Peripheries of Tamarindito and Tzikin Tzakan in Petén, Guatemala
Eva Jobbová (Trinity College Dublin) and Christophe Helmke (University of Copenhagen) – Directional Patterns and Planning in Urban and Rural Spaces in Central Lowland Maya Settlement
Daniel Prusaczyk (University of Warsaw) and Karolina Juszczyk (University of Warsaw) – In Pursuit of Water. Mapping of Pre-Hispanic Aqueducts in the Acolhua Region
Carolina Collaro (University of Jaén) – A Case Study of Lidar Survey by Drone in the Archaeological Maya Landscape of Guatemala
Francisco Estrada-Belli (Tulane University), Alexandre Tokovinine (University of Alabama) – On the Path of the Kaanu’l Dynasty in Northeastern Peten. Recent Investigations at Chochkitam
Jan Szymański (University of Warsaw), Joachim Martecki (University of Warsaw) – No Lines to Cross: Space and Identity in Mesoamerican and Central American Studies
Przemysław Adrian Trześniowski (independent researcher) – Corridors of Xibalba – Mapping of Inundated Caves of Yucatan Peninsula
Michael Pittman (The Chinese University of Hong Kong), Thomas G. Kaye (Foundation of Scientific Advancement, Sierra Vista, Arizona), Elizabeth Graham (Institute of Archaeology, UCL) – Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence Imaging Investigating Monuments and Artefacts from Lamanai, northern Belize
Gaia Carosi (University of Bonn) – Mapping Late Postclassic Tabasco: Preliminary Results of the TopoMSL Project
Maria Felicia Rega (Sapienza University of Rome and Comenius University of Bratislava) – Take Me Out to the Ballgame: Reconstructing Regional Borders Through Ballcourts Distribution in Peten, Guatemala
Daniel Salazar Lama (Université Paris 1 – Panthéon-Sorbonne), Benjamín Esqueda Lazo de la Vega (Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán) – Reconstruyendo el espacio del mito en la Subestructura II C de Calakmul, Campeche, México
John F. Chuchiak IV (Missouri University) – “The Hills are of Live Rock, Dry and Waterless”: Early Cartographic Encounters of Spanish Explorers and Conquistadors with the terrain of the Yucatan Peninsula, 1511-1600
Victor Castillo (Jagiellonian University) – Mapping Zaculeu: An Overview of the Historical Cartography of the Maya Highlands of Guatemala
Margarita Cossich (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) – Tlaxcaltecas y quauhquecholtecas mapeando la Guatemala del siglo XVI
Rogelio Valencia Rivera (independent researcher) – Throwing Arrows and Stones: Domestic Space Demarcation and Appropriation in Colonial New Spain
Enrico Straffi (Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia (ENAH), Mexico) – Mapeando el quincunce en área maya: propuesta teórico-practica
Monika Banach (Jagiellonian University) – Mapping Sacred Landscape in the Ixil Region of Guatemala
Feliciana Herrera (Alcaldía Indígena de Nebaj) – Cosmovisión e identidad del pueblo ixil desde espacios cartografícos
Keynote lecture (Monday 28 November):
John F. Chuchiak IV (Missouri University) and Harri Kettunen (University of Helsinki):
“Mapping the mundo maya: The History of the Cartography of the Yucatan Peninsula”
Abstract:
This opening presentation of the European Maya Conference (EMC) will examine the cartography of the Yucatan Peninsula from the earliest maps to the latest, concentrating on the early history of the cartography of the area. We will explore the role of cartographic charts and images included in, e.g., Landa’s Relación de las Cosas de Yucatan and how they advanced the geographic knowledge of the Yucatan Peninsula in the official circles of 16th-century Spanish cartography. These maps played a major role in demarcating the first imperial royal maps of Spain’s New World possessions and the elaboration of the formal official General Histories of the Indies. Besides these early maps, we will also explore the development of later maps in the area to illustrate the way in which these reflect the historical realities and politics in the mundo maya. The presentation closes with an overview of the latest developments in cartography, including LiDAR technology and 3D scanning.
Workshops (29 November-01 December)
The three-day workshop groups will be taught and supervised by experienced tutors. Participants will be tutored in English, except in certain cases in Spanish (see the programme). Spanish explanations can be provided by tutors, on an individual basis, for workshops of all levels.[/vc_column_text]
Searching for the Original Names of Classic Maya Cities: Toponyms in the Maya Writing System
Tutors: Dorota Bojkowska (Jagiellonian University of Krakow) and Boguchwała Tuszyńska (Independent Scholar)
Mapping Maya Discourse: Geographic Information Systems in the Analysis of Classic Maya Texts and Imagery
Tutors: Felix Kupprat (UNAM) and Verónica Amellali Vázquez López (Tulane University)
The Maya area was, and remains, a culturally complex and heterogeneous region. As such, an ever-increasing number of studies have focused on its inner and outer sociocultural boundaries. Innovations in mapping and spatial distribution analyses have proven to be powerful tools for reconstructing such limits, including political, cultural or identitary distinctions revealed by textual traits and graphic motifs. In this workshop, we will analyse several datasets comprised of Classic Maya texts and imagery by the means of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to address questions about political and cultural spheres within discrete time periods. The workshop includes a practical introduction to GIS, examples of spatial distribution analysis in Maya epigraphy and iconography and extensive hands-on exercises in which participants work on dynamically defined sets of glyphic texts and imagery, extracting relevant information and processing it with the open-source software package QGIS.
Participants should at least have a basic understanding of Maya epigraphy and iconography, but no prior knowledge of GIS is required. We provide some sets of glyphic texts and images for predefined exercises, with a focus on the polities of the Central Maya Lowlands, but in the case that participants have particular interests or ongoing research projects that could potentially incorporate spatial analyses, they are encouraged to bring their own materials in digital form. It would be greatly beneficial if participants had a laptop with the latest version of QGIS installed (available for Linux, macOS and Windows on https://qgis.org) and at least 5 GB of available internal or external storage. Additional data will be available for download shortly before the workshop and can also be distributed on-site via USB flash drives (bring a USB-A adapter if you need one!).
Mapping the Maya Region: Explorations in the Sources on the Cartography and Cultural Geography of the Pre-Contact and Colonial Maya
Tutors: John Chuchiak (Missouri State University) and Harri Kettunen (University of Helsinki)
This workshop explores, through an interdisciplinary approach, the main theme of this conference for the pre-contact and colonial periods in the Maya region. The workshop will include introductory lectures on the topic of the cartography and toponomastics of the Maya region from an interdisciplinary perspective. By analyzing the epigraphic, cartographic, ethnohistorical, and historical evidence, this workshop will introduce participants to the historical context, and primary sources related to, the development of the cartography and mapping of the cultural and physical geography of the greater Maya region of Yucatan, Chiapas, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. For comparative purposes, we will also briefly explore the greater Mesoamerican cultural sphere, particularly in relation to the study of place names (toponomastics).
In hands-on sessions, participants will analyze and work with a selection of hieroglyphic texts and English translations of important colonial sources for the mapping and cartographic history of the Maya region. Other sources to be examined include cartographic imagery and associated maps, as well as other primary eye-witness accounts of the early geographic encounters between Europeans colonizers and the Maya. Moreover, individually and/or in groups, these materials will serve as the basis for final presentations on selected aspects of the cartography or cultural geography of the Maya region. These will focus on researching important aspects of the geography and cartography of the Maya region (mapping, early explorations and encounters), or on specific aspects of the geography of the Maya region (such as a detailed study of the mountains, rivers, cenotes, caves, natural environment, etc).
Although no prior knowledge of Maya hieroglyphic writing or colonial sources is essential, a general knowledge of Spanish would be beneficial.
Special talk on Wednesday 30 November
There will be a special talk titled “Mesoamerican Cartography: Media, Concepts and Origins” by Christophe Helmke (University of Copenhagen) on Wednesday, November 30th at 7pm.
Abstract:
The cartographic tradition of Mesoamerica is amply attested in the documents produced in the 16th and early 17th centuries—in the wake of the Spanish conquest. Media and supporting materials serve to create the dichotomy between mapas (produced on sheets of paper) and lienzos (rendered on large sheets of textiles). Despite the differences in media and physical scale, the thematic content and format are generally one and the same, although some variation exists, often blending geographic references and historic events in the same space. Whereas most attestations of Mesoamerican cartography can de dated to the first few decades following the Spanish conquest, this tradition is of much greater antiquity. In fact, its gestation is now well-documented among the Epiclassic cultures of Central Mexico (c. AD 650-1000), and key features and traits can be traced even further back, to the rich representational conventions of the Classic metropolis: Teotihuacan (c. AD 200-650). In this presentation, the main characteristics and features of mapas will be presented, competing interpretations of what these sources represent in structural and narrative terms are discussed, all the while illustrating a wide variety of mapas and lienzos, before delving back to their Precolumbian origins, showing the evolution and progression of this lengthy tradition.