EMC 29: Perugia, Italy
The 29th 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 7th October, followed by three-and-a-half-days of workshops (8th–11th October), with an afternoon off (with extracurricular activities planned, to be announced) on Friday 11th October, and concluding with a two-day symposium held from Saturday 12th October to Sunday 13th October 2024, in the Sala dei Notari at Palazzo dei Priori in Perugia.
The theme for the 29th 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.