The Mesoamerica Center at UT-Austin aims to facilitate knowledge and learning about the indigenous cultures and peoples of what is now Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. Its primary focus is on the arts, languages, and archaeology of Mesoamerican civilizations. Based in the Department of Art and Art History, the Center aims to foster communication and interchange among many academic units on campus, highlighting the interdisciplinary strengths of many faculty and students at UT Austin. It also aims to share our varied research and activities with the UT community and the wider interested public.
The Mesoamerica Center oversees the yearly Maya Meetings, a premier gathering on Mesoamerican culture in the United States, which brings together scholars and students of all backgrounds. Feel free to explore some of the links provided to see what we do and where we are headed in this exciting and ever-changing field.
The Center was first established in 1990 as the Center for the History of Ancient American Art and Culture (CHAAAC), under the auspices of the late Linda Schele, of the Deparment of Art and Art History. In 2005 it was reconstituted as the Mesoamerica Center under its Director, David Stuart, with the valuable vision and input of Bridget Hodder and several faculty colleagues and students across UT's departments, including Julia Guernsey, Steve Bourget, Fred Valdez, and Nora England. As our new presence and ongoing activities evolve, we will strive to make our website an important resource for Mesoamerican studies as a whole.
Early Maya Iconography and Script
March 16-19, 2010
We are very pleased and excited to announce that the 2010 Maya Meetings will take place in Antigua, Guatemala, at UT-Austin’s new academic and conference center for Mesoamerican studies, the Casa Herrera. Since 1977 international students and scholars have gathered in Austin each year to learn and discuss the latest findings in Maya research. We are now able to take the Maya Meetings to the land of the Maya, to expand this spirit of learning and exchange. We hope to make Antigua a routine location for future conferences, alternating each year with our traditional venue on the UT-Austin campus.
Learn more on the Maya Meetings website
Publications: Research Reports on Ancient Maya Writing, No. 62
More Copan Notes are now available for download
