Welcome to Tulane University’s Maya Symposium webpage. Since 2002, Tulane University has hosted a weekend of talks and workshops dedicated to the study of the Maya civilization of Mexico and Central America. This yearly meeting has called upon scholars from a wide spectrum of specialties—archaeology, art history, cultural anthropology, epigraphy, history, and linguistics—to elucidate the many facets of this fascinating Mesoamerican culture. In developing a broad approach to the subject matter, we aim to draw the interest of a wide ranging group of people—from the expert to the beginner.
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11th Annual Tulane Maya Symposium

On the Maya Trail:

Ancient Travelers, Epic Voyages

Mar 20-23, 2014

The Middle American Research Institute and Far Horizons are proud to present the Eleventh Annual Tulane Maya Symposium and Workshop. This year’s symposium, titled “On the Maya Trail: Ancient Travelers, Epic Voyages”, will explore the many ways the ancient Maya moved across their landscape, whether for the sake of diplomacy, conquest, commerce, migration, or pilgrimage. The point of the symposium is to emphasize how integral long-distance communication was to ancient Maya society throughout its long history.

As in the past three years, MARI will take the reins in organizing the Maya Symposium. In collaboration with Tulane's Stone Center for Latin American Studies and the New Orleans Museum of Art, we hope to develop a diverse set of activities and topics for the symposium’s participants and attendees for many years to come. With MARI located in a renovated Dinwiddie Hall, we are expanding the scope and range of activities offered by the Symposium. In keeping with tradition, however, this year’s Maya Symposium will incorporate a wide variety of specialties such as archaeology, art history, cultural anthropology, epigraphy, history, and linguistics to explore the research being conducted on the ancient Maya civilization.

For 2013, we are excitied to announce that this year's keynote hosted at the New Orleans Museum of Art will be given by Dr. Karl Taube of the University of California, Riverside who will guide us through the rich world of Mesoamerican art. We will also host a viewing of the Precolumbian collection at NOMA. On Sunday, the Hieroglyphic Forum and the Workshops will focus on the role of women travelers in the Classic Maya civilization. Finally, throughout the weekend, we will also be featuring MARI's exhibit, "Faces of the Maya." The Latin American Library houses a collection of Merle Greene Robertson's rubbings, which may be viewed upon request.

PLEASE JOIN US! We invite you to join us in New Orleans, LA, March 20-23, 2014 at Tulane University and the New Orleans Museum of Art to learn of the recent developments in Maya studies as they relate to the broader topic of Mesoamerican studies.

Learn more about the 2014 Meetings