Maya: Children of the Corn.

Program Description

An Introduction to the Maya The Maya were one of the ancient world’s most fascinating, prolific and mysterious civilisations. The Maya occupied what archaeologists call "Mesoamerica" which is slightly different to Central America. Mesoamerica includes the southern parts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. The earliest evidence of this culture is found in the South of Guatemala. The Post-classic Maya occupied what is today Yucatan. They flourished along the Usumacinta River and throughout the Petén. The Maya had a well-established social order. Their monarchy was hereditary and absolute. The monarch was very close to the spiritual leader who was often consulted regarding important matters. The Maya developed a complex religion. The king was considered a divine being, representing their pantheon on earth. He was the one calling for blood sacrifices. We know about Maya’s myth of Creation because it is described in two sacred books: “Popol Vuh” and “Chilam Balam of Chumayel”. Maya language was written by using hieroglyphs. Schedule: Thursday, June 8 from 10:00 to 11:00 am This class will be held online. A Zoom link will be emailed to you after you register and again 24 hours before the class begins. After studying Fine Arts, presenter Maria Chester decided to go deeper and studied Art History becoming a Professor in Pre-Columbian Civilisations. From her first passion, that was Cave Art and Rock Art she developed an interest in Archaeology, and this has served as a frame for her ongoing research. She is multilingual and enjoys travelling. She taught in several South American universities as well as private institutions. Maria has served as the National Subject Adviser on American Archaeology to The Third Age Trust and joined East Berwickshire U3A where she became its Chairman. In 2015, she became a founding member of the IC-International Committee to The Third Age Trust, in the United Kingdom. In May 2016 she was elected Secretary General of AIUTA- International Association of Universities of the Third Age. She is also tutors regular courses on Art History for BEA-Berwick Educational Association. She also works for Berwick Visual Arts delivering lectures and guided tours on seasonal exhibitions at The Granary Gallery in Berwick upon Tweed, England. Maria has been an accredited lecturer for for The Arts Society in London since 2018. . Recently, she was invited to become part of the team of Art Histori