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Spring-Summer 2009 MAYA EXPLORATION CENTER SPRING/SUMMER 2009 AA RCHAEORCHAEOMM AYAAYA The Newsletter of Maya Exploration Center www.mayaexploration.org In This Issue: Paving Over Paradise • MEC’s Research Once there was a Member Program green pasture. Cattle grazed there. Tired • ASL in Chiapas mares ran the six- furlong length of it, • Math for America in from the edge of the Yucatan abandoned real estate development to the • Midland College in gates of El Panchan Peru Hotel. INAH owned the land, and it was • Kalpulli Ce Akatl rumored that one day they would close the • The Cosmic Serpent congested parking lot Conference outside the ruins of Palenque, blanket • Swine Flu in Chiapas this grassy field with asphalt, and create a • Thanksgiving in Tikal public space that The future location of INAH’s parking lot for the Palenque archaeological zone • iMaya and the 2010 would accommodate Mayan Calendar hundreds of idling tour buses and people who now live inside it. Nature will parked cars. In this far-sighted scheme, take its course. tourists would browse the souvenir stalls On The Horizon: Work ceased during the flu scare, but ru- while waiting for the electric trains that mor has it that the paving will start “soon.” would convey them to the archaeological Meanwhile, the gleaming parking lot acts as a site. • MEC Scholars Appear giant reflector bouncing solar rays back into in New Documentary Five years went by and nothing hap- outer space. In the noonday sun it seems as if Films pened. Then one windy February day the this were its intended purpose all along. bulldozers arrived en masse. Half the • Fall Fundraiser for Nothing has stopped the total renovation field was reduced to muck. Then came Yashalum of the main street in downtown Palenque. the endless brigades of dump trucks Three long blocks have been torn up for hauling gravel and blowing dust. The • Midland College in months while workers bury electric lines and sheer immensity of the INAH project – Chiapas broaden the pedestrian walkway. Someday the two-meter depth of the gravel bed, soon, tourist cafes will line the boulevard, • Fall Lecture Series - the incalculable tonnage – rivals the great shops will resemble thatched huts, and resi- building programs of the ancient Maya Misunderstanding dents will gossip behind the shrubbery. In the kings. Except in this case, the public 2012 interim, traffic is hopelessly snarled and busi- work is deliberately flat and artless. nesses on main street have closed their doors. When the long-range project is com- • New Publications on It’s a small price to pay for becoming part of pleted, the national forest will be free of the new Pueblo Magico. the MEC Website cars and free of the cows, chickens, and PAGE 2 ARCHAEOMAYA Letter from the Director MEC Board Between global to planning the study abroad courses for Chairman recession, claims 2010, I will be on the road lecturing on the Edwin L. Barnhart that Mexico is a end of the Maya Long Count in 2012. Treasurer war zone, and Wish me luck in absolving the Maya from Blair Duncan Officers pandemic swine all the apocalyptic mania! MEC will also Fred Barnhart flu, it’s been a host our first fundraiser this fall. The goal Harold Green challenging year is to provide computers and internet ser- LeAndra Luecke for an organiza- vice for Yashalum, a non-profit institution Charles C. Williams tion that offers educational travel pro- that offers dormitory space and scholar- grams in Mesoamerica. Nevertheless, ships for rural Maya youth living near Research Associates most schools we work with have been Yajalon, Chiapas. The event will be held Mark Child undaunted by the news media hype, in Austin sometime in October. Details James Eckhardt and our study abroad courses have run will go out by email to all newsletter re- Kirk French as scheduled. In this issue of Archaeo- cipients. Michael Grofe Maya you’ll read about the continuing Carol Karasik Finally, I’m very please to announce adventures of ASL, Midland College, Alonso Mendez that our membership system is ready to and our newest educational partner, Alfonso Morales launch! Read about what it offers and Math for America. We at MEC want to Walter F. Morris how to register in the pages of this issue. thank them for their loyalty and in- Christopher Powell Unlike other membership systems, MEC Kirk Straight trepid spirits. invites you to participate in our research This issue of ArchaeoMaya also dis- and gives you the resources to do so! We MEC Staff cusses MEC’s ongoing commitment to hope that some of you will take the im- Director the sensitive portrayal of Native portant step from supporter of our re- Edwin L. Barnhart American cultures. At the Cosmic Ser- search to active participant. pent conference, held for museum edu- As the summer draws to a close and Editors cators in Santa Fe, Alonso Mendez the holiday season appears on the hori- Edwin L. Barnhart shared his current research on Maya zon, I’m confident that our readership Carol Karasik astronomy and served as an instructor. will continue to support our work Most recently, MEC and Dr. Gerardo through program participation, dona- Contact MEC Aldana of UC Santa Barbara co-hosted tions, and by simply spreading the word KalpulliCe Akatl, a week-long work- United States about who we are and what we do. 7301 Ranch Road 620 N shop designed to give students a Suite 155 #284 chance to recreate ancient Maya Sincerely, Austin, Texas 78726 mathematics, ceramics, and architec- Phone: 512-350-3321 tural plans. Mexico Looking into the future, fall prom- El Panchan ises to be busier than usual. In addition Apartado Postal 142 Palenque, Chiapas 29960, Mexico On the Web www.mayaexploration.org Email [email protected] Contents of this newsletter © 2009 Maya Exploration Center, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit our sister website, www.mayan-calendar.com, for information about Maya calendar systems, a Maya date conversation calculator, links to various web resources, and much more. PAGE 3 ARCHAEOMAYA ASL: Holy Week in Chiapas This rainy April, ten high school students from the American School of London chose to spend Easter vaca- tion in sunny Chiapas, soaking up Maya culture, practic- ing Spanish with newfound friends, and working on two environmental projects. As this remarkable educational program has evolved over the past three years, the stu- dents and itinerary have changed but the goals remain the same: cultural enrichment and service work. Along the way, ASL and MEC have strengthened their ties with Yashalum, a Maya institution dedicated to education and economic sustainability in the mountains of Yajalon. The intense variety and pacing of the trip proved ideal for energetic teenagers eager to experience the Maya world. As they explored the magnificent temples of Palenque, Carol Karasik traced the history and beliefs of ASL students show off their hard work badges the Maya people. Soon the students were traveling to Cisco Dietz’s spectacular orchid collection exempli- through the sacred landscape to Yashalum and their first fied current efforts to preserve the rare plant species of encounter with living Maya culture. Meanwhile, Maya Chiapas. students from Yashalum were touring the ruins of Tonina with Alonso Mendez. The next day, ASL and Yashalum Most of Holy Week was devoted to an in-depth view students were knee deep in the organic compost heap of traditional Maya culture. With Chip Morris as their that nourishes the community’s coffee plantation. guide, students traveled to three Maya villages where they visited the private chapels of religious officials, witnessed ritual dances and curing ceremonies, and observed the reenactment of the crucifixion on Good Friday. Amid the heady scent of pine needles and in- cense, Maya customs blended with medieval church practices preserved since the Conquest. Back in San Cristóbal, solemn religious processions vied with the celebration of the city’s spring festival as saints were carried through the streets to the sounds of drumbeats, rock bands, and fireworks. In the midst of the cacophony, students explored the local craft shops and took in a performance of “Palenque Rojo,” a lavish costume drama set in ancient Maya times. Returning to the environmental theme, a visit to a rural 18th century church and wheat mill introduced ASL Students working in San Cristobal students to the colonial flavor of the San Cristóbal val- ley, and to a long-range development project that will Arriving in the high pine forests of San Cristóbal, ASL help sustain local communities as well as the environ- students immediately teamed up with teenage members mental integrity of the highlands. Environmental and of Ecos de la Tierra and El Club Na Bolom and began the cultural preservation go hand in hand. This year’s ASL backbreaking work of clearing land for an urban botani- visit, combining culture and ecological work, touched cal garden. The project, organized by Anita Smart, re- the spirit and is sure to reap future rewards. sulted in three level terraces as well as increased environ- mental awareness in the surrounding neighborhood. A hike through the Huitepec cloud forest reserve and a visit PAGE 4 ARCHAEOMAYA Announcing the MEC Research Member Program Have you ever wanted to get more involved in archaeology, but felt like you didn’t know where to start? Or perhaps you have ideas about ancient mysteries you’d like to share with the world. If so, consider joining Maya Exploration Center as a Research Member. Most membership systems are about financially supporting the work of an institution, be that a museum, a charity, or a team of scholars. While the MEC membership program appre- ciates and values that kind of support, we invite (though not require) our members to ac- tively participate in the process of discovery.
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