Wilderness Travel 2017 Catalog of Adventures

SPEC I AL EVENT World of the Maya NEW DISCOVERIES IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM DECEMBER 28, 2017-JANUARY 8, 2018

WOLFGANG KAEHLER

The new millennium has brought many exciting discoveries to light in northern Guatemala that have significantly altered our understanding of the Maya. The size and sophistication of El Mirador, at its height during 300-150 BC, make it one of the largest and earliest of the Maya cities; mural paintings at San Bartolo, carbon dated to 100 BC, make them the oldest known Mayan paintings; and La Corona is now proven to be the long-sought “Site Q,” solving one of the great mysteries of Mayan archaeology. Our symposium is a wonderful opportunity to discuss these finds in the company of distinguished experts who will greatly enhance our understanding of this remarkable civilization, whose secrets are still being revealed.

KENNETH GARRETT CRAIG LOVELL

The Symposium Our symposium presentations will also discuss Xultun, site of the oldest Mayan astronomical tables, which contradict the 2012 “end of the world” theories, and Holmul, a small but strategic kingdom with an enormous inscribed frieze dating to the 6th century. Although we are unable to visit these very remote sites themselves, we will discuss their significance and enjoy special access to the Mirador, Corona, and Holmul laboratories in Antigua and Guatemala City, where artifacts from the sites are stored and studied. Additional symposium excursions bring us to the ceremonial center of Yaxhá and incomparable Tikal, with the symposium based at a lovely hotel on the shores of the Petenchel Lagoon. The Guest Speakers Dr. Richard D. Hansen , an archaeologist specializing in the early Maya, is Director of the Mirador Basin Project and Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at the University of Utah. He has written extensively on his work and been featured in many documentaries on the Maya. Dr. Marcello Canuto is Director of Tulane University’s Middle American Research Institute and an Associate Professor of Anthropology. He is co-director of the La Corona Regional Archaeological Project, a multi-disciplinary study of the heart of lowland Maya civilization. Dr. Francisco Estrada-Belli directs a multi-disciplinary archaeological project at Holmul, Guatemala, and teaches archaeology and geographic

information systems at Tulane University. A National Geographic Explorer, he is the author of a book on the origins of Maya civilization. We will also be joined two other prominent archaeologists associated with the recent exciting discoveries in northern Guatemala. Post-Symposium Tours each accompanied by a Guest Speaker • Classic Kingdoms of the Maya Caracol, Dzibanche, Kohunlich, Calakmul, Palenque • The Artistry of the Ancient Maya Tikal, Holmul, Quiriguá, Copán, Kaminaljuyú • Splendors of Mayan Mexico Yaxchilán, Bonampak, Palenque, Uxmal, Chichén Itzá • Hidden Treasures of Mayan Guatemala Ceibal, Aguateca, Cancuén, Mixco Viejo, Iximché

Program Cost: TBA

CALL FOR DETAILS 1.800.368.2794 14