[Aztlan] Institute of Maya Studies September Lectures

[michael ruggeri]

September 9, 8:00-9:30 PM
IMS Explorer Session Lecture
“Incidents of Travel: In Chiapas” with George J. Fery
  Among the many facets of IMS field trips, some stand out more than  
others, such as friendship and the discovery, or re-visit, of Maya  
archeological sites. How to describe the last trek that took place in  
November 2008 is not simple since it was, in the opinion of all  
participants, an outstanding one among those of years past.
To present such a trip is not a simple matter since it entails  
familiar disciplines to IMS members, i.e., history, archaeology,  
architecture, the arts, etc., and covering them all would require far  
more time than allotted for this presentation. George Fery will  
attempt to show not only the journey to five great Maya sites, but  
also the people of the time – whether depicted in stone, ceramic or  
frescoes – as well as those of today. With George’s adept guidance,  
let’s try to capture the “spirit” of the beautiful remains of a great  
past.
The Institute of Maya Studies
Miami Science Museum,
3280 South Miami Avenue, across from Vizcaya;
Maya Hotline: 305-235-1192
www.instituteofmayastudies.org


September 16, 8:00-9:30 PM
Institute of Maya Studies Lecture
“Cloth and Shell Ornament Production as Economic Intensification in  
the Area Surrounding Chichén Itzá”
Dr. Traci Ardren
A central component of models for the rise of Chichén Itzá is the  
intensification of economic production and exchange. Evidence from  
recent excavation of a large platform at Xuenkal, on the plains north  
of Chichén Itzá, indicates cloth and shell ornament production may  
have been primary craft activities that intensified during the  
Terminal Classic period.
This presentation will give an overview of the Classic period city of  
Xuenkal and present data on a concentration of spindle whorls and  
shell ornament fragments from structure FN 129. Through comparison  
with regional evidence for textile and artifact production, it  
suggests the inhabitants of Xuenkal were absorbed within the processes  
of economic centralization at work within the Chichén polity. Women’s  
labor in the domestic world was a key component of regional economic  
intensification. This program summarizes a forthcoming publication by  
Ardren and other members of the Proyecto Arqueológico Xuenkal in the  
journal Latin American Antiquity.
Dr. Ardren is Associate Professor of Anthropology; Director, Program  
in Women’s and Gender Studies; University of Miami. (Ph.D., Yale  
University, 1997)
The Institute of Maya Studies
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