Welcome to the Maya at Mexicolore!

La Ruta Maya Foundation in Guatemala

We’re most grateful to Sofía Paredes Maury for sharing with us the story of La Ruta Maya Foundation, of which she is Director and Curator. She holds a BA in Archaeology from the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala and a MA in Museum Studies and Caribbean & Latin American Studies from New York University. Her field expertise includes being Assistant Curator of the Popol Vuh Museum (Guatemala); Researcher in Residence at the Duke University Art Museum (Durham, NC); a Wildlife Conservation Society consultant at the Sylvanus G. Morley Museum and Tikal National Park (Petén, Guatemala); Educational Support Staff at the American Museum of Natural History (NYC) and Field Coordinator of the Management Plan for Copán Archaeological Park (Honduras). She has been a William Fulbright and FAMSI grantee.

Partners: Weaving for Justice

Since the beginning of 2023 Mexicolore has supported and partnered with Weaving for Justice, an all-volunteer, non-profit organisation working in solidarity with Maya weaving collectives in Chiapas, Mexico. By buying small weavings hand woven by weavers in Mexico and gifting them to the schools we work with in England, we hope to contribute in a tiny way to assisting the members of the collectives to continue living on their ancestral lands in sustainable ways that respect their lands, language (Tsotsil), and traditions. Weaving for Justice co-founder Christine Eber sets the scene...

Maya Blue: Unlocking the Mysteries of an Ancient Pigment

We are sincerely grateful to Dr. Dean E. Arnold for writing specially for us this intriguing introduction to the mysterious and unique pigment known as Maya Blue. Dr. Arnold has published extensively about the Maya potters and their craft in Ticul, Yucatan from data collected during his twelve visits over a period of 43 years (1965-2008). He is currently Adjunct Curator of Anthropology at the Field Museum and Professor of Anthropology Emeritus at Wheaton College (Illinois).

The Papantla Pole Dancers

We are very grateful to George Fery, a freelance writer-photographer of pre-Columbian history and archaeological sites of Mexico and the Americas, for writing and illustrating this introductory article on the ancient ceremony known as Los Voladores de Papantla (the Flyers of Papantla).

RESOURCE: The murals of Bonampak

New for 2024: a splendid 15-minute animated film on the unique Maya murals at Bonampak, Chiapas, Mexico, made by Gilbert Estrada, Professor of Latin America & United States History, Long Beach City College.

Light and Dark in the Ancient Maya World

We’re most grateful to Dr. Nancy Gonlin for writing specially for us this intriguing article on the importance of nighttime for the ancient Maya. Dr. Gonlin is a Mesoamerican archaeologist who loves conducting research on ancient nights, household archaeology, and everything Maya, especially chocolate. She is a Professor of Anthropology at Bellevue College (USA).