Readings

6/13: Cantinas, Drinking Culture, and a “Return to Servitude”

For our last class, we’ll discuss two texts that take a critical look at the construction of Mexico and the …

Thursday 6/6: Oral Literature of the Maya

For Thursday, please read these short selections from the volume An Epoch of Miracles: Oral Literature of the Yucatec Maya. …

6/8 – 6/9: Yaxunah

Image Source: “El turismo comunitario en Yaxunah lo lideran las mujeres,” Echoes of the Journey (18 February 2019) On Saturday …

5/31: Spolia and Apocalypse at Izamal

Today we’re heading to Izamal, the “Yellow City,” where we’ll see more Maya ruins and explore the fascinating Convento de …

Tuesday, 5/28: The Presence in the Past

For today’s class, we’ll discuss the Haitian anthropologist Michel-Rolph Trouillot’s essay “The Presence in the Past.” Trouillot’s work asks us …

Tuesday, 5/21: First Encounters with the Yucatán

For our first group discussion on Tuesday, we’ll reflect on your impressions of Mérida in relation to three historical “first …

In class, we’ll react to the lecture on indigenous self-understanding before the conquest of the Yucatán. We’ll read from the Maya creation narrative, the Popol Vuh. Pictured above is a figurine representing a Maize god emerging from a ripe ear of corn (dates to the 7-9th century).