29th European Maya Conference: Perugia, Italy
“Colour in Mesoamerica”
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.
An Introduction to Maya Hieroglyphs
Panos Kratimenos & Maria Felicia Rega
The Beginners’ Workshop will provide a general introduction to Maya epigraphy. It is open to anyone interested in the topic, and is especially ideal for people who have never worked with Maya inscriptions, although people with limited previous experience are also welcome. The workshop will cover various topics, including the history of decipherment, an overview of the corpus, and the inner workings of the writing system itself. Starting from the basics, the participants will learn about the principles of Maya hieroglyphic writing, the Maya calendar, and the structure of texts. Hieroglyphic inscriptions from different Maya cities will be studied, as a means of providing a general picture of the politics, beliefs, and individual actors of the ancient Maya world. By the end of the workshop, the participants will be able to read simple inscriptions, follow calendrical calculations, and identify key historical figures. The workshop will be conducted in English, but individual explanations will also be available in Spanish and Italian.
Instruction language: English. The instructors are also able to attend questions and comments in Italian and Spanish.
Admittance: 40 attendees (max.).
“Rulers of the White Dog: The History of Sak Tz’i’”
Christian Prager, Dimitris Markianos-Daniolos & Marie Botzet, with online participation by Mallory Matsumoto
This workshop will cover the hieroglyphic history of the polity known as Sak Tz’i’ (“White Dog”) and its interaction with the surrounding cities. Previously only known from hieroglyphic references on looted monuments, the location of the site of Sak Tz’i’ was long debated, until recent research identified the site of Lacanjá Tzeltal as the capital of this polity. Aside from the site of Lacanjá Tzeltal, the Sak Tz’i’ kingdom is referenced in the texts of several sites in the region. From the extant hieroglyphic sources, we know that the Sak Tz’i’ lords interacted with their counterparts from Tonina, Piedras Negras, Palenque, Yaxchilan, Bonampak, as well as El Cayo during the Late Classic period in a series of power struggles and alliances. This workshop will utilise the complete corpus of texts relevant to the history of Sak Tz’i’, and will offer an overview of the kingdom’s history. Information compiled by the workshop tutors such as lists of rulers, calendar dates, as well as a collection of drawings will offer the students the opportunity to work with and familiarise themselves with the story of Sak Tz’i’ during the Classic period. This workshop is aimed at people who possess intermediate-level knowledge of Maya hieroglyphic writing. Participants should be able to independently identify calendrical information and most common glyphs.
Instruction language: English. The instructors are also able to attend questions and comments in Spanish.
Admittance: 25 attendees (max.).
“Colour in Maya Iconography and Writing: A Mesoamerican Perspective”
Felix Kupprat, Daniel Salazar Lama, Albert Davletshin & Harri Kettunen
Images and writing provide insights into people’s thoughts, worldviews, ideologies, daily lives, and history. They also reveal particular perspectives on the world, especially regarding ancient societies. This is the case with the ancient Mesoamericans, whose sculptural and pictorial representations are attested by a broad variety of artefacts that have survived to the present day. In this workshop, we will focus on Preclassic and Classic Maya imagery and writing and draw extensive comparisons with Western Mesoamerica. We will provide an overview of artistic and scribal traditions and conventions, with an emphasis on polychrome objects such as coloured stucco reliefs, murals, painted ceramic vessels and books. As part of the conference’s general theme, we will also touch upon topics relevant to the comprehension of imagery and textual composition, such as colour perception, its meanings and semiotic functions and its impact in the built environment. In addition, we will explore problems of hermeneutics by pointing out the particularities of Maya iconography and writing as compared to the Art History and Literature of both other Mesoamerican traditions and European cultures. This workshop is directed towards both beginners and advanced students of Mesoamerican art and writing systems. Participants will work in groups according to their level of experience and interpret provided sets of spatially or contextually related images, reconstructing general meanings and discursive properties. Complementary interactive presentations will provide an overview of common motifs, themes, and artistic programs. The primary workshop language is English, but questions and comments can also be made in Spanish. All participants are encouraged to bring a laptop or tablet to use digital references and supplementary materials.
Instruction language: English. The instructors are also able to attend questions and comments in Spanish.
Admittance: 35 attendees (max.)
