ANTH 506 Ancient American Civilizations: Mesoamerica (3) WS,NW.

An archaeological survey of the Precolumbian heritage of Mexico and Central America. The sites and cultures of the Olmecs, Teotihuacan, the Maya, the Zapotecs, the Toltecs, and the Aztecs will be considered in detail. Investigations of ancient art and architecture, crafts and technologies, trade and exchange, religious beliefs and practices, and writing and calendrical systems will be directed towards understanding the growth and the decline of these Native American civilizations. Course Website

ANTH 507 The Ancient Maya (3) WS.

An intensive examination of current scholarship on the ancient Maya civilization of Mexico and Central America. The course will consider Maya culture from its roots in early villages of the Preclassic period to the warring city-states of the Postclassic period. Topics will include settlement and subsistence systems, sociopolitical evolution, art and architecture, myth and symbolism, and Maya hieroglyphic writing. An important theme of the course will be the relevance of the Precolumbian Maya for understanding complex societies and contemporary Latin American Culture. Prerequisite: Successful completion of one of the following: ANTH 110, ANTH 310, ANTH 415, ANTH 506, or ANTH 508.

LAA 232 Language and Society in Latin America (3) S,NW.

This course will examine the cultural and social significance of Amerindian languages in Latin America. Spanish and Portuguese will be related in language situations to Amerindian languages, such as Quechua, Aymara, the Mayan languages, Nahuatl, and Guarani. Some African-substratum Creole languages will be used to illustrate the multifaceted relations between language and ethnic group, sex, nation, geography, social class, context, and social interaction.

LAA 502 Topics in Latin American Area Studies: Kaqchikel Maya I (3).

Course Syllabus.

LAA 502 Topics in Latin American Area Studies: Kaqchikal Maya II (3).

Course Syllabus.

LING 565 Native MesoAmerican Writing (3) H.

An introduction to the indigenous writing of Mesoamerica, primarily Epi-Olmec and Mayan hieroglyphic writing. The course will survey the languages of the cultures that originated writing in the New World, and demonstrate the methods being used to decipher Mesoamerican hieroglyphic writing. The connections between language, culture, and writing will be highlighted. Prerequisite: An introductory Linguistics course. 00 15 05 . Course Website