Maya Hieroglyphic Workshops

Title: “History and Rhetoric in the Monuments of Piedras Negras”

The Center For the Arts and Symbolism of Ancient America (CASAA), the Center for Middle American Research and the Department of Anthropology, sponsored an Ancient Maya Hieroglyphic Workshop on October 19-21, 2012, at Texas State University.

Piedras Negras, a large site located on the Guatemalan side of the Usumacinta River, is of great importance to Mayanists because of its long and well preserved series of monuments. These sculptures, in the form of stela, altars, and wall panels, are central to the historiography of Maya studies. In her analysis of these inscriptions about fifty years ago, the scholar Tatiana Proskouriakoff proved that these texts primarily concern the lives and rituals of rulers, rather than gods. This workshop discussed the implications of Proskouriakoff’s argument for the understanding of dynastic history at Piedras Negras, and explored the further significance of these texts as instruments of political discourse.

As part of the events, there was a free public screening of the award-winning documentary Breaking the Maya Code (Nightfire Films, 2008 – 120 min.) on the decipherment of the ancient script. This version runs nearly twice as long as the version aired earlier on PBS television.

Texts, Images, and Rituals of the Underworld of Naj Tunich Cave
Texas State University Weekend Workshop on Maya Hieroglyphic Writing | Feb 16-17, 2008

Peter Keeler has recently retired from 15 years as Director of the University of Texas Maya Meetings and programmed the Forum on Maya Hieroglyphic Writing.

Barbara MacLeod is an expert on Maya Glyphs, has been involved in crucial breakthroughs in the decipherment of hieroglyphic writing, and continues to be on the cutting edge of glyph research. She is an experienced caver who has visited and conducted research in the Naj Tunich cave.

Nick Carter is a veteran instructor of glyph workshops at both Texas State University and the University of Texas Maya Meetings.

Day one focused on an introduction to the glyphs for beginners, and suitable instruction tailored to the skill level of more experienced participants, with individuals breaking into small groups for hands-on practice.

Day two, delved into the realm of the ceremonial underworld of Naj Tunich Cave--a labyrinth of passages where artifacts and paintings testify to ancient visitations over many centuries. We examined some of the fascinating images and lengthy hieroglyphic texts to learned what arcane rites these visitors were performing and how they documented elapsed time in the ritual space of the underworld.