[Aztlan] Advanced Seminar on Mayan Astronomy

[Gerardo Aldana]

Advanced Seminar on Mayan Astronomy

The CSI at UCSB in collaboration with the Maya Exploration Center invite applications for participation in a one-week advanced seminar on Mayan astronomy.  This summer, from July 12 through 18, the seminar will consider the question:  "The Dresden Codex Venus Pages:  room for revision after 100 years of scholarship?"

Applicants should have strong backgrounds in Mayan mathematics and calendrics, and at least a general familiarity with the mechanics of the Venus pages.  Applicants should have some experience reading basic hieroglyphic texts, but (while desirable) advanced epigraphic training is not required. 

Enrollment is limited.  Please submit a cover letter and CV to: 

Chicano Studies Institute
ATTN: Summer Advanced Seminar
4518 South Hall, UCSB
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-6040

OR in electronic form to:

ceakatl at yahoo.com.

A $50 registration fee will be due upon acceptance. UCSB campus lodging may be available; please inquire at ceakatl at yahoo.com for more information.


Seminar Leaders:
Gerardo Aldana, Associate Professor, UCSB.  Prof. Aldana recently published The Apotheosis of Janaab' Pakal: Science, History, and Religion at Classic Maya Palenque through the University Press of Colorado.  His current research focuses on the Dresden Codex as well as the interaction of astronomy and politics throughout Classic Mayan history.

Ed Barnhart, Director of the Maya Exploration Center.  Dr. Ed Barnhart has over a decade of experience in Mesoamerica as an archaeologist, an explorer and an instructor.  He is a Fellow of the Explorer's Club and teaches National Science Foundation classes for college professors on Maya astronomy and sacred geometry.

Chris Powell, Associate at the Maya Exploration Center.  An archaeologist with 20 years in the field, Powell has worked all over the Maya world, both in the ruins and with the modern Maya people. His current focus is on the completion of his Ph.D. dissertation, The Shapes of Sacred Space, which will present his new theories regarding Maya geometry and explain how the Maya, both ancient and modern, incorporate the proportions of nature in their art and architecture.