[Aztlan] Institute of Maya Studies August Lectures

[michael ruggeri]

Listeros,


August 12, 8:00-9:30 PM
Institute of Maya Studies Explorer Session Lecture
“Medicines: They’re not just for breakfast anymore!”
with Michele Williams, Ph.D., RPA
Traditional cultures value plants for their medicinal and culinary  
uses. Come learn about evidence for prehistoric uses of plants in  
similar manners!
Michele Williams, Ph.D., RPA is the Director and Terrestrial  
Archaeologist for the Southeastern Region of Florida Public  
Archaeology Network. Dr. Williams has participated in digs throughout  
the southeastern United States for the past 20 years. Her specialty  
within archaeology is the use of plants by prehistoric Native Americans.
Miami Science Museum,
3280 South Miami Avenue, across from Vizcaya
Maya Hotline: 305-235-1192
www.instituteofmayastudies.org


August 19, 8:00-9:30 PM
Institute of Maya Studies Lecture
“Interpreting the Art of Chichén Itzá”
with Dr. Edward J. Kurjack, Professor Emeritus at Western Illinois  
University
Scholars have examined the art of Chichén Itzá and arrived at widely  
different interpretations, thus showing that it is truly difficult to  
find meaning in stone. Dr. Kurjack believes the most successful  
studies begin with an etic perspective, which focuses on behavior that  
can be described and phenomena that can be counted. Rather than  
starting with an attempt to understand the symbolism in the minds of  
the artists, the research should proceed by describing the elements  
composing the art and analyzing the distribution of these elements.
Morris, Charlot and Morris (1931) successfully showed that the  
pilasters of the Northwest Colonnade illustrated a scene of richly  
attired individuals with tied hands surrounded by armed personnel and  
onlookers at the margins. An ossuary pit at the foot of the stairs by  
one of the pilasters depicting “prisoners” may be linked to the  
narrative. Using this same etic procedure, we can re-examine the  
Temple of the Warriors complex and study other world-class examples of  
Pre-Columbian art at Chichén Itzá, especially the Tzompantli and the  
Lower Temple of the Jaguars.
Miami Science Museum,
3280 South Miami Avenue, across from Vizcaya
Maya Hotline: 305-235-1192
www.instituteofmayastudies.org

Mike Ruggeri's Ancient America Museum Exhibitions, Conferences and  
Lectures
http://tinyurl.com/c9mlao