Maya World Here I Come!

Several months ago I applied for a fellowship to study the Maya of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. The objectives of the project include visiting Maya temples and archaeological sites, as well as attending seminars hosted by scholars in the field. Happily, I was accepted and have been making plans for departure, which will be next week.

Unhappily, since I received the acceptance letter, drug cartels from Mexico spilled into the Peten region of Guatemala and beheaded 27 people. As a result of this violence, the U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory to avoid Guatemala. And, thankfully, the people who are organizing the fellowship decided to change some of the itinerary so we will avoid Peten.

Nevertheless, if you are thinking that I am being somewhat vague in my descriptions of people, places and dates you are correct. For security reasons, I have decided to minimize the specifics in my blog entries. Only after I have left certain regions will I be more detailed. I hope you understand! I really want to return to California with my head firmly attached to my shoulders.

Despite these security challenges, we will be studying topics as wide ranging as tourism and its impact on modern Maya today, the Zapatistas and their impact on the Chiapas region of southern Mexico, ancient Maya architecture, the Mayan calendar, and the liminal space between the indigenous of Belize and people of African ancestry who arrived on the east coast of the Yucatan peninsula, originally, as slaves.

All in all, it should be an awesome project and I look forward to sharing it with you. I hope you enjoy the ride!