About

The Maya Meetings bring scholars and interested individuals together once a year to study and explore the richness of ancient Maya art, archaeology and writing. Since their inception in 1977, the Maya Meetings have featured lectures, forums, and research workshops, many geared to the study and learning of ancient Maya hieroglyphs. The entire event is designed to foster an open and experimental atmosphere promoting collaboration between professionals, students and all interested people from all over the globe, including the significant involvement of modern Maya.

In 2010 we begin a whole new chapter of the Maya Meetings by taking them to Antigua, Guatemala. Beyond that, the conference will alternate each year between Austin and Antigua.  In this way we can foster more communication and interaction with scholars, students and enthusiasts in the Maya world.

History of the Meetings

The celebrated Mayanist Linda Schele founded the conference in Austin in 1977, when they were known as the Maya Hieroglyphic Workshops. They broadened in scope over the next decades, and Professor Nikolai Grube took the helm in 2000, with the help of Julia Guernsey, Simon Martin, and numerous other scholars within and outside of UT-Austin. David Stuart then became Director of the Maya Meetings in 2004, and revitalized many key aspects of the Meetings with Bridget Hodder, who also added many new features to the gathering, including the annual Linda Schele Award and the Speakers’ Dinner. Today, the Maya Meetings continue to evolve with the field of Mesoamerican studies, striving to represent this exciting world of archaeological research and discovery. Our mission is to bring this spirit to both the scholarly community and to society at large, creating a worldwide environment of growth in Maya studies.