[Aztlan] Institute of Maya Studies June Lectures

[michael ruggeri]

June 10, 8:00-9:30 PM
Institute of Maya Studies Explorer Session

“Palenque Inscriptions” – with A. Katherine Morales

Palenque is a site with numerous hieroglyphic inscriptions that  
emphasize both history and mythology. This presentation will focus on  
mythology, particularly in respects to a correlation with the Popol  
Vuh. We will also explore how the ancient Maya elite at Palenque  
interwove mythology and historical records to display a relationship  
between them.

Kings at Palenque employed the sacred narrative of creation within  
their strategies of political legitimacy. When the Temples of the  
Cross Group were dedicated in 690 AD, the moon was in conjunction with  
Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, likely thought to represent the reuniting  
of First Mother and her sons, the three deities of the “Palenque  
triad” whose births are recorded here.

The Institute of Maya Studies is at the Miami Science Museum, 3280  
South Miami Avenue, across from Vizcaya; Maya Hotline: 305-235-1192;www.instituteofmayastudies.org

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June 17, 8:00-9:30 PM
Institute of Maya Studies Lecture

“Piles of Stone and Places of the Dead – Uncovering a Wari Mortuary  
Complex in Cuzco, Peru”” with Dr. Mary Glowacki

 From approximately 500-1000 AD, imperial Wari society occupied much  
of ancient Peru, with the Southern Highlands its most intensively  
inhabited region. In the Huaro Valley, southeast of the city of Cuzco,  
the Wari established an early center made up of numerous sites. The  
largest of these sites is called Cotocotuyoc, “a place of many piles  
of stones.” On-going investigations of Cotocotuyoc, being conducted by  
the Huaro Valley Archaeological Project, indicate that the site  
functioned as a major cemetery complex and offer an unprecedented look  
at Wari funerary practices and beliefs. This talk will focus on the  
mortuary aspects of Cotocotuyoc and how these data broaden our  
understanding of Wari culture and its societal views of death and the  
afterlife.

Dr. Mary Glowacki is the supervisor for the Florida Bureau of  
Archaeological Research, Public Lands Archaeology Program. She is also  
the Director of the Huaro Valley Archaeological Project, which  
conducts archaeological investigations in Cuzco, Peru, with emphasis  
on Wari culture.

The Institute of Maya Studies is at the 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