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 Meetings have featured lectures, forums, research workshops, and teaching practicums mostly geared to the study and learning of the hieroglyphic script. A core component of the meetings centers around an open and experimental atmosphere that promotes collaboration between representatives from all over the globe, including the significant involvement of Maya people from Guatemala and México.
We are dedicated to a spirit of collaborative learning, innovative research, and ethical scholarship, fostering trust and sharing in fields related to the study of the ancient Maya and Mesoamerica.
Over the years, many people have helped to make the Maya Meetings what they are today. Linda Schele founded the conference in 1977, when they were known as the Maya Hieroglyphis Workshop. 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 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 our meeting continues 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.
To help this effort, our umbrella organization, the Mesoamerica Center at the University of Texas, sponsors a discussion group on all aspects of Mesoamerican culture. We invite you to read and contribute!
last update May 1, 2008
Image Credit: Carolyn Porter
Comments to: 512.471.6292
Department of Art and Art History, University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712
Mesoamerica Center - The University of Texas at Austin