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An Affiliate of the Miami Science Museum
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SEPTEMBER 2008 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
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All meetings are held at the Miami Science Museum,
3280 South Miami Avenue across from Vizcaya.
A $6.00 donation is requested for nonmembers.
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DATE, EVENT AND PROGRAM
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Image of DVD cover:
Cracking the Maya Code
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Glyphs on a carved stone bench at the Maya site of Copán in Honduras.
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September 10, 2008, 8:00 PM
Travel, Art & Archaeology
DVD Presentation of
“Cracking the Maya Code” with commentary by Steve Mellard
This is a definitive look back at how a handful of pioneers deciphered the intricate system of hieroglyphs developed by the Maya. One of the greatest detective stories in all of archaeology, it had never been told in depth before. With glorious footage of Maya temples and art, this documentary culminates in the fascinating account of this once magnificent ancient civilization’s ingenious method of communication.
The ancient Maya civilization of Central America left behind an intricate and mysterious hieroglyphic script, carved on monuments, painted on pottery, and drawn in handmade bark-paper books. For centuries, scholars considered it too complex ever to understand – until recently, when an ingenious series of breakthroughs finally cracked the code and unleashed a torrent of new insights into the Mayas’ turbulent past. Now, NOVA presents the epic inside story of how the decoding was done – traveling to the remote jungles of southern Mexico and Central America to investigate how the code was broken and what Maya writings now reveal.
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Palenque sits in the mist-shrouded jungles of eastern Mexico. The Temple of the Inscriptions, shown here, is the site’s most impressive structure. Deep within the temple is an ornate, vaulted chamber containing the crypt of the ruler Pacal.
Photo courtesy of Kenneth Garrett
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View from the sixth level of Toniná, overlooking the Valley of Ocosingo
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September 17, 2008, 8:00 PM
“Another Tale of Two Cities: Palenque and Toniná” with IMS President
Marta Barber
Palenque – one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico – is a modern wellspring from which researchers have drawn some of the most detailed information about Maya culture. Its importance lies in its naturalistic sculpture, architectural inventiveness, and detailed epigraphic record. Named by indigenous people in Tzeltal,
Toniná means the House of Stone. Metaphorically, the name refers to the home of celestial lights and deities of time: Toniná was a site of calendars and rituals. The site is built on the side of a large hill in seven terraces producing the overall effect of a stepped pyramid.
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