From the Yucatan to "The Halls of Montezuma" -- Mesoamerican Cultures and their Histories

FAIN: ES-50182-07

University of Oregon (Eugene, OR 97403-5219)
Stephanie G. Wood (Project Director: March 2007 to July 2009)

A four-week institute for thirty school teachers to study Mesoamerican history and culture through artifacts, architectural remains, and manuscript sources.

The proposed institute will explore how the histories of Mesomarican peoples might provide useful comparisons for exploring humanities questions in the broader "american" and global context - such as how people move from non-sedentary to more settled societies, what leads to city formation, the emergence of writing and literacy, the development of complex societies, cultural florescence (and decline), how empires are built and with what human consequences, and what are the nature and outcomes of cultural encounters and exchange. It is also our aim to explore our methods and sources, considering perspective and voice and how we can interpret cultural heritage materials such as museum objects, architectural remains, or pictorial and textual archival manuscripts. Finally, we will consider how technology can aid humanities research and help integrate that research into high curricular units and lesson plans.