This course draws on multiple perspectives to examine the shared practices, traditions, and worldviews that have defined Maya cultures in the past and the present. We will examine the means through which we have come to understand prehispanic Maya societies, exploring how archaeology, ethnohistory, anthropology, art history, and critical theory, as well as recent political history, activism, identity politics, and popular media have shaped our interpretations of the Maya past. Through the lens of 3000 years of continuities and transformations, we will consider the formation of ancient and modern Maya identities in the face of collapse, migration, conquest, political upheaval, and violence.
Pre-requisites: Any one of the following: either ANSO 103, or LAS 200, or permission of the instructor.