Volume 54 / Number 1

2012

Special Edition: Maya 2012: Lords of Time

On The Cover: This jade figurine cached beneath a Copan Acropolis building dedicated by Wi'Yohl K'inich (Ruler 8) in ca. 541-542 CE represents the rebirth of the Maize God rising from a spondylus shell, a pivotal event during the Maya creation myth. This suggests that Wi'Yohl K'inich, like other Maya kings, closely identified himself with the Maize God to reinforce his status as a "Lord of Time." Photo by Kenneth Garrett; excavated by the Early Copan Acropolis Program, Penn Museum; courtesy Instituto Hondureño de Anthropología e Historia.

Vol. 54 / No. 1

By: Richard Hodges

The Wonders of Copan at the Penn Museum: From the Director

On my visit to Copan last summer to attend a meeting dedicated to the Penn Museum’s MAYA 2012: Lords of […]

Vol. 54 / No. 1

By: Simon Martin

Maya Calendars: An Overview

To read any Maya date one must first understand their numerical system. Unlike the ten Arabic symbols we use (0, […]

Vol. 54 / No. 1

By: Richard M. Leventhal, Carlos Chan Espinosa and Cristina Coc

The Modern Maya and Recent History

The Maya are generally thought of in relation to their distant past—a past of great cities with towering stone pyramids […]

Vol. 54 / No. 1

By: Jane Hickman

From the Editor – Spring 2012: Maya 2012: Myth and Reality

Travel through 4,000 years of Mesoamerican history with the Penn Museum in this special expanded edition of Expedition magazine. This […]

Vol. 54 / No. 1

By: Alessandro Pezzati

The Excavation of the Hieroglyphic Stairway at Copan: From the Archives

The ancient Maya city of Copan is a jewel of a ruin, a beautifully proportioned city situated in a verdant […]

Vol. 54 / No. 1

By: Sarah Kurnick

Bringing Maya Sculpture to Life: Book News & Reviews

The Copan Sculpture Museum: Ancient Maya Artistry in Stucco & Stone by Barbara W. Fash (Cambridge: Peabody Museum Press, 2011). […]

Vol. 54 / No. 1

Museum Mosaic – Spring 2012: People, Places, Projects

Widener Lecture Hall to Reopen in Spring 2013 Thanks to a magnificent lead gift from Ingrid A. and Donald C. […]

Vol. 54 / No. 1

By: Alessandro Pezzati

Looking Back

Alfred P. Maudslay (1850–1931) was a British explorer credited with the first systematic excavations of Maya ruins. Between 1881 and 1894 […]

Vol. 54 / No. 1

By: Robert Sharer

Time of Kings and Queens

The origins of maya kings can be traced back to the Middle Preclassic period (ca. 1000–500 BCE). Archaeology reveals the […]

Vol. 54 / No. 1

By: Anthony F. Aveni

Why Maya 2012 Fascinates Us

Apocalyptic ideas have always been popular in the United States. We have long conceived of our country as the land […]

Vol. 54 / No. 1

By: Loa Traxler

Time Beyond Kings

Profound changes within maya society ended the time of kings. Traditionally, kings monopolized the political, economic, and religious power within […]

Vol. 54 / No. 1

By: Robert Sharer

Who Were the Maya?

The ancient Maya created one of the world’s most brilliant and successful civilizations. But 500 years ago, after the Spaniards […]

Vol. 54 / No. 1

By: Loa Traxler

2012 and Beyond

Did the Maya Predict an Apocalypse in 2012? In a Word: No. With clear evidence to the contrary, we return […]

Vol. 54 / No. 1

By: Simon Martin

Time, Kingship, and the Maya Universe Maya Calendars: An Overview

In 1832 constantine Samuel Rafinesque a polymath who made contributions to the fields of botany, zoology, linguistics, meteorology, and geology […]

Vol. 54 / No. 1

By: Robert Sharer

Copan Altar Q

Altar Q was dedicated by Copan’s 16th ruler, Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat in 776 CE. The four sides of this […]