A Society of Kings: Deciphering Classic Maya Politics

Simon Martin, University of Pennsylvania Museum

Photo: The noble Yok Ch’ich (?) Tal. Detail of a stone panel from Palenque Temple XIX. Photograph by Jorge Pérez de Lara

Abstract: The political organization of the Classic Maya has been a topic of debate for almost a century, and over that time scholarly interpretations have differed wildly. This talk sets out the evidence for a resolution to this debate, one that seeks to move beyond basic questions of political structure to open up the richer and deeper ones that lie beyond. That case relies on particular lines of evidence but also on particular theoretical understandings, since we must attempt not simply to describe, but to analyze and explain, how and why the Classic Maya created their highly decentralized political world.

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

6:00 pm  EST

hosted on Zoom by the Institute of Fine Arts–NYU

REGISTER HERE TO ATTEND