Lecture Series on Maya Archeology

The last week of the school year we were honored by a visit of the archeologist and good friend, Alonso Mendez. Alonso has been working on archeological projects in Palenque since 1997 as a member of the Maya Exploration Center. His areas of expertise include archeo-astronomy, understanding of hieroglyphic texts and fine arts. Being a Tzeltal Maya himself and having been raised in the highlands of Chiapas, Alonso has brought to San Mateo Ixtatán an authentic knowledge, tradition and view on the Maya culture to share with the students, teachers and the community. During his weeklong visit he gave a lecture series on Maya Archeology to high school students and facilitated a clay and hieroglyph workshop with me for middle school students.
All high school students have participated in his fascinating lecture series that discussed the areas of:
1. History of the ancient Maya
2. History of discovering and understanding the Maya hieroglyphs
3. Maya calendars: The long-count and the short-count calendar and the Mayan mathematics
4. Maya astronomy
During the lectures, Alonso emphasized the importance of keeping alive the Maya traditions, the language, the art and the use of the calendars. It has been an important experience for him to be in San Mateo Ixtatán and learn about the Chuj Maya culture and community. He was very happy to see the spark in the eyes of some kids during his lectures. We are hoping that we can collaborate with him in the future for further projects!

Alonso starting the lecture