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: 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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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. […]
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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). […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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, […]
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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 […]
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