Detail of a clay vessel with a painted image of a bird-headed dancer.
Image Credit

Unknown Maya artist, Petén region, Southern Lowlands, Guatemala. Vessel with Bird-Headed Dancers, 600–900 CE. Slip-painted ceramic, 6 ⅜ x 3 ⅝ inches. Denver Art Museum Collection: Gift of Dr. M. Larry and Nancy B. Ottis, 2003.1330.

The Ancient Maya: Dance, Writing, Art

2015 Mayer Center of Ancient and Latin American Art Symposium

Unknown Maya artist, Petén region, Southern Lowlands, Guatemala. Vessel with Bird-Headed Dancers, 600–900 CE. Slip-painted ceramic, 6 ⅜ x 3 ⅝ inches. Denver Art Museum Collection: Gift of Dr. M. Larry and Nancy B. Ottis, 2003.1330.

Overview

Organized by Margaret Young-Sanchez. Sponsored by the Mayer Center and the Denver Art Museum.

The ancient Maya created one of the New World’s most advanced civilizations. Recent advances in the decipherment of Maya hieroglyphic writing have led to breakthroughs in the understanding of Maya history, court life, rituals, and religious beliefs. Symposium speaker Matthew Looper will describe the work of the Maya Hieroglyphic Database Project, headquartered at the University of California, Davis, and also explore the meaning of dance imagery on Maya ceramics. Yuriy Polyukhovych’s presentation will focus on works in the Denver Art Museum’s impressive collection of Maya art. Finally, the speakers will share new decipherments and interpretations with the audience in an informal gallery tour. The symposium will be held in conjunction with the pre-Columbian installation, Grand Gestures: Dance, Drama, Masquerade.

Sharp Auditorium—Hamilton Building, Lower Level
Ticket required

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Speakers:

  • Matthew Looper, Ph.D. (California State University, Chico): Speaking Stones: New Approaches to Interpreting Maya Hieroglyphic Writing Dance Imagery in Ancient Maya Ceramics
  • Yuriy Polyukhovych, Ph.D. (California State University, Chico): Court and Cosmos: New Interpretations of Maya Vessels in the Denver Art Museum