Institute of Archaeology & Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology

Jagiellonian University

Polish Academy of Arts And Sciences

19-22 February 2015

4th Cracow Maya Conference

Into the Underworld: Archaeological and anthropological perspectives on the afterlife in the Pre-Columbian Americas.

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The major subject of the next CMC is death and afterlife in Pre-Columbian Americas. We encourage scholars to submit papers that involve many different disciplines, from archaeology, physical and cultural anthropology to iconography, ethnohistory and epigraphy. Papers may address many different issues related to death, including burial customs, underworld iconography, grave goods, funerary architecture, and the ritual role of caves in both North and South Americas.

The conference will concern the most recent research results on religions, politics as well as cultural and social phenomena related to the concepts of death and afterlife of the New World. Although the subject of the conference is relatively poorly examined, it offers a unique opportunity to have insight into the world of symbols, power, knowledge and beliefs of traditional communities. The leading specialists in contemporary American studies from Poland and abroad will take part in the symposium. They will present their results of archaeological and anthropological research in Americas and promote the history and cultural heritage of the mentioned region. Moreover, the symposium will also be an opportunity for integration of the scientific environment, students and individuals interested in this subject. As part of the conference, the institutes will hold workshops on the Maya hieroglyphic writing system.

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