Sexy eyes, slightly crossed
March 28, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Lecture
The Magnificent Maya: Part II
Guillermo Méndez
Wed, Apr 2, 3pm
Teatro Santa Ana
50 pesos


They were the most advanced of all the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica. The Maya inhabited southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and the western boundary of Honduras and El Salvador. They built cities and paved roadways, although they used no wheeled vehicles of any kind. Their astronomers plotted the movements of the visible planets and stars using a mathematics that included zero, a rare accomplishment in world history. They were the only people of the New World to develop a complete written language that could express anything spoken.

The Magnificent Maya: Part II, by Professor Guillermo Méndez, focuses on Maya religion, politics and sex. Religion permeated every aspect of ancient Maya life. Everything in nature was sacred and possessed spiritual energy. Maya cosmology was complex but intimately connected to daily life. Maya politics in the Classic Period (AD 250-900) centered on semi-divine kings who ruled and expanded their influence through warfare, marital unions (they could have “secondary” wives) and diplomacy. The beautiful (sexy) Maya, male or female, would have had an intentionally deformed skull, filed and inlaid teeth, decorative facial scars and, if lucky, slightly crossed eyes.