by Stephen Houston
The story of Malinche tells us that, in some places, at some times, Mesoamericans spoke several languages: Malinche’s control of Nahuatl and Chontal [Acalan] Maya (and eventually Spanish) provided the conquistadores with essential information in their wild journey to dominance.
Malinche’s tale leads me in turn to reflect on what the Maya called [...]
Archive for January, 2009
Maya Multilinguals?
Posted in Dos Pilas, Linguistics on January 19, 2009 | 2 Comments »
New Book: Veiled Brightness: A History of Ancient Maya Color
Posted in Books, News on January 15, 2009 | 1 Comment »
VEILED BRIGHTNESS: A HISTORY OF ANCIENT MAYA COLOR
by Stephen Houston, Claudia Brittenham, Cassandra Mesick, Alexandre Tokovinine, and Christina Warinner
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PRESS, 2009
$40.20 with website order discount
Description from the UT Press catalog:
Color is an integral part of human experience, so common as to be overlooked or treated as unimportant. Yet color is both unavoidable [...]
An Obscure Text from Tonina
Posted in Calendar, Tonina on January 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Some years ago Linda Schele took photographs (one below) of a partial stucco inscription at Tonina. I have never seen this personally, and I have no idea where it is at the ruins. Despite its murky details and the thick moss in places, I think the glyphs can be tentatively teased out as follows (reconstructed elements [...]
Tatiana Proskouriakoff Centennial
Posted in History of Research, News, Reflections on January 12, 2009 | 2 Comments »
January 23, 2009 will mark 100 years since the birth of the great Mayanist Tatiana Proskouriakoff (1909-1985), best known for her discovery of the extensive historical content in Maya art and inscriptions. The upcoming anniversary will be a excellent time to reflect on Tania’s remarkable career and her contributions to Mesoamerican research.
Maya Field Workshops
Posted in News, Palenque on January 1, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
This announces the inauguration of a new and exciting learning experience on Maya art, epigraphy and archaeology, The Maya Field Workshops. Led by David Stuart, these are designed as intensive on-site seminars open to anyone interested in the latest discoveries on the ancient Maya. Unlike workshops held in Austin and other academic locales, these take [...]
