Beyond Bones

A perfect example of a fascinating object that most visitors to HMNS don’t see, this ceramic figure of Huehueteotl is of Classic Veracruz origin. The Classic Veracruz Culture existed from roughly 100-1000 AD and is largely unknown to the general public because it is overshadowed by contemporaneous cultures like that of Teotihuacan and  later the […]

December 21, 2012: It’s not the End of the World — it’s the Baktunalia! It’s time for a celebration, not an apocalypse. Here are the facts: The Maya long count calendar will go from 12.19.19.17.19 to 13.0.0.0.0 as we go from December 20 to December 21, 2012. So December 20 is New Baktun Eve and […]

An end-of-the-world party is nothing new. People have been looking for excuses to party like there’s no tomorrow for millennia. But come Dec. 21, we’re throwing a cocktail party of a different color. You’ve probably heard by now that the ancient Maya, who developed one of the most advanced calendrical systems in the world (in […]

Speculation about what ancient Maya have to say about 2012 is becoming a global phenomenon in popular culture. These speculations — largely apocalyptic and uninformed — are often based on a superficial acquaintance with Western historical interpretations rather than a familiarity with Maya texts and culture. On Nov. 5, Dr. John B. Carlson will approach […]