SYMPOSIUM AND EXHIBITIONSThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

www.maya2012.unc.edu

New Maya Perspectives in 2012

Exhibition Ancient and Living Maya in the 19th and 20th Centuries: Archaeological Discovery, Literary Voice, and Political StruggleOCTOBER 8, 2012 – JANUARY 27, 2013

The Stuart Collection and other holdings in the Rare Book Collection of UNC-Chapel Hill tell the story of European peoples’ discovery of Maya sites and Maya languages and literary traditions, alongside the dramatic political history of the region and the Maya struggle for autonomy.

MELBA REMIG SALTARELLI EXHIBIT ROOM, WILSON LIBRARY

Exhibition

Ancient and Living Maya Through the Photographic LensSEPTEMBER 18–DECEMBER 14, 2012

This exhibition includes twenty large photographic images of Maya peoples and sites taken by National Geographic staff members on assignment. Dating from the 1950s through the 1980s, the photographs are from the collection of George E. Stuart (UNC Ph.D. 1975), former National Geographic archaeologist. Lowland and highland Maya garments and textiles from the same period are also part of the display.

FEDEX GLOBAL EDUCATION CENTER GALLERIES

The Douglass Hunt Lecture of the Carolina Seminars is supported by the Massey-Weatherspoon Fund and seeks to serve the public service mission of the University to the people of North Carolina and beyond through an expanding collaborative effort on timely topics of interest to public policy and scholarly exchange.

www.carolinaseminars.unc.edu

Friends of the Library help to enhance the University Library collections and services and expand resources to students, faculty, and users from around the world. They also sponsor lectures and educational programs throughout the year.

www.lib.unc.edu/fol

The Institute for the Study of the Americas (ISA) at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge of the Latin American experience in the Western Hemisphere. It builds on a long-standing and distinguished tradition of scholarly interest in the diverse regions that make up Latin America.

isa.unc.edu

UNC Global is responsible for the strategic execution of UNC’s internationalization objectives— to infuse a global dimension throughout the University’s teaching, research and service activities, to deepen and broaden UNC’s global reach, and to enhance its global visibility.

global.unc.edu

The Rare Book Collection (RBC) at UNC-Chapel Hill dates its beginnings to 1929 and the establishment of the Hanes Foundation for the Study of the Origin and Development of the Book. With over 160,000 printed volumes, the RBC supports the University’s distinguished academic programs and the lifelong learning of North Carolina’s citizens.

www.lib.unc.edu/rbc

Two men of Zinacantán, Chiapas (photo, Justin Locke); Weaving of wedding dress, Chiapas (photo, Otis Imboden); Sewing machine in Pisté, Yucatán (photo, Bates Littlehales); Maize god from Copán (photo, Otis Imboden). All courtesy George E. Stuart and National Geographic.

Chromolithographs of the Madrid and Paris codices from Rosny, Essai sur le déchiffrement de l’écriture de l’hiératique de l’Amerique Centrale (1876); Popol vuh (1861); Photogravure of plaza from Maudslay, A Glimpse at Guatemala (1899). All courtesy Stuart Collection, Rare Book Collection, UNC-Chapel Hill.

SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25

5:00 p.m. Reception and viewing of the exhibition Ancient and Living Maya in the 19th and 20th Centuries: Archaeological Discovery, Literary Voice, and Political StruggleMELBA REMIG SALTARELLI EXHIBIT ROOM, WILSON LIBRARY

5:30 p.m.New Maya Perspectives, keynote lecture by Victor MontejoPLEASANTS FAMILY ASSEMBLY ROOM, WILSON LIBRARY

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26

11:00 a.m.Mesoamerica Through Its Literature, with Emilio del Valle EscalantePLEASANTS FAMILY ASSEMBLY ROOM, WILSON LIBRARY

12:00 p.m.Indigenous Land Rights in Belize, with Cristina CocROOM 5042, VAN HECKE-WETTACH HALL, UNC LAW SCHOOL

2:00 p.m.Ancestral Maya Civilizations: Cycles of Time and Classic Maya Royal Dynasties, with Patricia McAnanyPLEASANTS FAMILY ASSEMBLY ROOM, WILSON LIBRARY

3:30 p.m.Of Scribes and Calendars: The Once and Future History of Mayan Hieroglyphic Writing, with David Mora MarínGLAXOSMITHKLINE FULLDOME THEATER, MOREHEAD PLANETARIUM AND SCIENCE CENTER

5:30 p.m.Reception and viewing of the exhibition Ancient and Living Maya Through the Photographic LensFEDEX GLOBAL EDUCATION CENTER GALLERIES

6:00 p.m.Curator’s talk on Ancient and Living Maya Through the Photographic Lens, with George E. StuartPEACOCK ATRIUM, FEDEX GLOBAL EDUCATION CENTER

6:30 p.m.Contemporary Maya Poetry Readings, with Briceida Cuevas Cob and Rosa Chávez NELSON MANDELA AUDITORIUM, FEDEX GLOBAL EDUCATION CENTER

EVENTS

New Maya Perspectives Internationally recognized author Victor Montejo addresses the role of native scholars and activists in the renewal of the Maya world by exploring Maya cycles of time through a native exegesis of the sacred K’iche’ text the Popol Vuh. A reception and viewing of the exhibition Ancient and Living Maya in the 19th and 20th Centuries: Archaeological Discovery, Literary Voice, and Political Struggle precede the lecture.

Mesoamerica Through Its Literature In this open class, Professor del Valle Escalante leads a discussion of how contemporary Maya conceive the end of the Long Count Maya calendar and represent it in current literature. Particular focus is placed on Gaspar Pedro González’s (Maya Q’anjob’al) novel, 13 B’aktun. Maya writers Briceida Cuevas Cob, Rosa Chávez, and Victor Montejo are invited to participate in the exploration.

Indigenous Land Rights in BelizeCristina Coc discusses the recent successes and ongoing struggles of the Maya in securing rights to ancestral lands in this Central American nation.

Ancestral Maya Civilizations: Cycles of Time and Classic Maya Royal DynastiesClassic Maya royalty used the Long Count to mark significant calendric events but also to record dynastic events, such as coronations, marital conflicts, and the anniversaries of the deaths of progenitors. Professor McAnany leads an exploration in this open class of Classic Maya use of the Long Count (with ample illustrations) at major capitals that supported strong scribal traditions between AD 275 and 909.

Of Scribes and Calendars: The Once and Future History of Mayan Hieroglyphic WritingIn this multimedia presentation, Professor Mora Marín traces the development of Mayan hieroglyphic writing from its origins around 500 BC until its end in the sixteenth century, demonstrating its close ties to the ancient calendar system used to keep track of political history and astronomical events and how ancient scribes adapted to changing social and political pressures.

Ancient and Living Maya Through the Photographic LensCurator George E. Stuart speaks about the photographs of Maya peoples and places on display, taken for National Geographic from the 1950s onward.

Contemporary Maya Poetry Readings Briceida Cuevas Cob and Rosa Chávez read their work in Yucatec and K’iche’ languages, respectively, as well as in Spanish, with English translations provided by members of the UNC community.

PEOPLE

VICTOR MONTEJO (Maya Pop’ti, Guatemala), Emeritus Professor of Native American Studies at the University of California, Davis, is a novelist, poet, scholar, and human rights activist. His books include Testimony: Death of a Guatemalan Village (1987) and Maya Intellectual Renaissance: Identity, Representation, and Leadership (2005). From 2004 to 2008, Professor Montejo served as a member of the Congress of Guatemala and as Minster of Peace, in charge of promoting the peace accords that ended the 36-year civil war.

EMILIO DEL VALLE ESCALANTE (Maya K’iche’, Guatemala), Associate Professor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at UNC-Chapel Hill, specializes in contemporary Latin American literature, with an emphasis on indigenous literatures in southern Mexico and Central America. He is the author of Maya Nationalisms and Postcolonial Challenges in Guatemala: Coloniality, Modernity and Identity Politics (2009).

CRISTINA COC (Maya Q’eqchi’, Belize) is the Executive Director of the Julian Cho Society, which promotes social justice, human rights, and sustainable development in Belize. Her work advocating for ancestral land rights of indigenous people has brought her to the highest courts of her nation, where, in 2007, the Chief Justice ruled in favor of Maya communities.

PATRICIA A. MCANANY, Kenan Eminent Professor in the Department of Anthropology at UNC-Chapel Hill, is an archaeologist who has directed �eld research and cultural heritage programs throughout the Maya region. She is the author of Living with the Ancestors: Kinship and Kingship in Ancient Maya Society (1995) and Ancestral Maya Economies in Archaeological Perspective (2010).

DAVID MORA MARÍN, Associate Professor in the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Linguistics, is a scholar of Mayan historical linguistics and epigraphy. His interests include lexical and grammatical reconstruction of the Ch’olan-Tzeltalan languages, the sociolinguistic context of ancient Mayan writing, and inscriptions on portable objects.

GEORGE E. STUART (UNC Ph.D. 1975) worked for National Geographic for nearly forty years. His numerous publications include Ancient Pioneers (2003) and Palenque: Eternal City of the Maya (2008; co-authored with his son David Stuart). In 2006, he and his wife Melinda donated the Stuart Collection of Maya materials to the University Library at UNC-Chapel Hill.

BRICEIDA CUEVAS COB (Maya Yucatec, Tepakán, Calkiní, Yucatán, Mexico) is a poet and founding member of the Asociación de Escritores en Lenguas Indígenas. Among her books are Je’ bix k’iin = Como el sol [Like the Sun] (1998) and Ti’ u billil in nook’: Del dobladillo de mi ropa [From My Clothes’ Hem] (2008).

ROSA CHÁVEZ (Maya K’iche’-Kaqchikel, Guatemala) is a poet and artist who is an active member of the literary collective “Caja Lúdica, cuenta cuentos,” as well as the theater group “Rayuela.” Her books include Casa solitaria [Solitary house] (2005) and Quitapenas [Taking Worries Away] (2010).

“ 13 Bak’tun” is hosted at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by the Douglass Hunt Lecture of Carolina Seminars, Friends of the Library, the Institute for the Study of the Americas, the Rare Book Collection at Wilson Library, and UNC Global. Additional support comes from the American Indian Center; the Carolina Digital Library and Archives; the Departments of Anthropology, Linguistics, and Romance Languages and Literatures; the Latin American, Iberian, and Latina/o Studies section of the Library; the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center; the Research Laboratories of Archaeology; and the School of Law.

DECEMBER 21, 2012, marks the end of the current great cycle in the Maya Long Count calendar. The advent of this date has prompted numerous publications, films, and discussions, with the question “Will the world end in December 2012?” dominating the discourse. Noteworthy in these examinations, however, is the absence of contemporary Maya people explaining what 2012 means to them.

With “13 Bak’tun: New Maya Perspectives in 2012,” The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is placing the calendric reckoning of 2012 within a larger historical and cultural context and including the voices of Maya people.

The Maya word bak’tun signifies a calendric cycle of 400 years of 360 days, and the ancient inscriptions indicate that once the 13th bak’tun is reached, the Long Count cycle starts over. The two-day symposium “13 Bak’tun” capitalizes on the University’s extensive library resources and academic programs in Maya civilization.

Lectures, open classes, multimedia presentations, and poetry readings will demonstrate the breadth of Maya scholarship and activity at UNC, home to the Yucatec Maya Summer Institute. Exhibitions will showcase the holdings of the University Library and its Rare Book Collection, where the George E. and Melinda Y. Stuart Collection of Maya materials resides. Invited scholars, writers, and activists from Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize will give witness to the current cultural renaissance of the Maya, who developed the most enduring writing system of the Pre-Columbian Americas.

All components of this symposium are free and open to the public. Registration is recommended but not required.

EXHIBITIONS (see other side for descriptions)

Ancient and Living Maya Through the Photographic Lens SEPTEMBER 18–DECEMBER 14, 2012

Ancient and Living Maya in the 19th and 20th Centuries: Archaeological Discovery, Literary Voice, and Political Struggle OCTOBER 8, 2012 – JANUARY 27, 2013