[Aztlan] Institute of Maya Studies November Lectures

[michael ruggeri]

November 11, 8:00-9:30 PM
Institute of Maya Studies Explorer Session Lecture
“An Introduction to the Venus Table in the Dresden Codex”
Steve Mellard
  Researchers believe that the Dresden Codex was compiled in the post- 
Classic period, probably after 1200 CE, but Venus was important in  
Maya myth and astronomy much earlier. The sun and Venus were adopted  
as symbols of royal authority by the hierarchical states that took  
shape in the pre-Classical period. The Dresden Codex contains a Venus  
table that permits the prediction of first appearance of the planet as  
morning star and as evening star over a period of 104 years. The  
primary function of the Venus table appears to have been to fix the  
dates of rituals associated with the apparitions of Venus and supply  
auguries for these dates. Steve Mellard will explain the major  
components of the table and how it was used, identifying the Venus  
gods and reading some of the glyphs.
Miami Science Museum,
3280 South Miami Avenue, across from Vizcaya;
Maya Hotline: 305-235-1192.
Subscribe to the new full-color e-mailed version of our monthly IMS  
Explorer newsletter at:  www.instituteofmayastudies.org

____

November 18, 8:00-9:30 PM
Institute of Maya Studies Lecture
“Calakmul: The Power of the Snake Kingdom”
Marta Barber
Discovered by biologist Cyrus Lundell of the Mexical Exploitation  
Chicle Company on December 29, 1931, the find was reported to Sylvanus  
Morley, then working in Chichén Itzá, in 1932. Lundell named the site  
Calakmul, to mean the City of Two Adjacent Pyramids (Ca = two; lak =  
adjacent and mul = mound or pyramid.
Calakmul administered a large domain, with its emblem glyph of the  
head of a snake amply found around the site. The Snake Polity saw its  
peak in the Classic period during which time it became a rival of  
Tikal. Several wars were conducted between these two great super  
powers. One of the largest Maya cities, so far more than 6,750  
structures have been identified. Calakmul is also home to the biggest  
Maya pyramid, Structure II, at 55 meters high.
Located in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, the largest tropical forest  
reserve in Mexico, Calakmul is a treasure trove of Maya history. The  
site extends over 10 square miles in the middle of the reserve’s 1.8  
million acres of forests in the State of Campeche.
Miami Science Museum,
3280 South Miami Avenue, across from Vizcaya;
Maya Hotline: 305-235-1192.
Subscribe to the new full-color e-mailed version of our monthly IMS  
Explorer newsletter at:  www.instituteofmayastudies.org

Mike Ruggeri's Ancient America Museum Exhibitions, Conferences and  
Lectures
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