Module description

This course builds on the archaeology of Mesoamerica and provides an examination in greater depth of Maya history, archaeology, ethnohistory, calendrics and epigraphy (the decipherment of hieroglyphic inscriptions).

Aims

This course is an introduction to the civilisation of the Pre-Columbian Maya. I expect that students will already have taken the course on the Archaeology of Mesoamerica, ARCL0031, and will be familiar with Mesoamerica as a culture area. If not, the encyclopaedias or handbooks listed in Section No.3, below, are the best sources available online. The best text, also listed in Section No. 3, is only in print: Susan Toby Evans’ on Ancient Mexico and Central America of which there are three editions; any is fine. This book is different from the encyclopaedia that Susan and her husband David Webster have published, which is probably also good, but is also only in print. My aim is to provide an overview of Maya culture, society, environment, food production, settlement patterns, architecture, calendrics, and aspects of material culture to increase awareness of the importance of Maya contributions to civilisation. I also hope to increase awareness of the rich cultural heritage of living Maya groups.

Objectives

On successful completion of the course, a student should have developed a basic knowledge of:

1) approaches to excavation and recovery in wet tropical environments

2) human-environmental interaction in the humid tropics

3) how data from archaeology, epigraphy, ethnohistory, and ethnography are integrated

4) the nature of the colonial encounter

5) Maya culture history

Learning outcomes in terms of key skills

On successful completion of the course, students should demonstrate:

• Meticulous citation and referencing practices

• Expository writing skills

• A good level of research skills

• Critical skills, particularly regarding source materials and their use, as well as authors’ claims

Further information is available here https://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/study/undergraduate/courses/maya-civilization