On the cover: Quirigua Monument 16 ("Zoomorph P"), dated to AD 795, perhaps commemorating the death of a local ruler, is often considered to be the finest stone carving created by the ancient Maya.
By: Wendy Ashmore
Ever since the visit of Frederick Catherwood in 1840, scholars and laymen alike have been attracted to the Maya ruins of Quirigua. Above all, it is the magnificent sculpture that has brought accolades to the site. But while many have inferred the existence of an important “city” or “capital” to support the rulers and sculptors […]
A Masai Exhibition As part of the Black Centennary (1879-1980) celebration at Penn, The University Museum will present a traveling exhibition from The Galleries at F.I.T. (Fashion Institute of Technology) from December 16, 1980 to January 23, 1981. This exhibition consists of fifty of the excellent photographs featured in the recent book by Carol Beckwith, […]
By: Martin Biddle
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania voted on 6 December 1887 to send ‘an exploring expedition to Babylon’—perhaps the most romantically-worded decision ever taken by that august body. In this way was founded not only the University Museum but also the Museum’s exceptional commitment to field research. From this commitment have grown both the […]
By: Wendy Ashmore
The discovery came, one could say, just in the nick of time. The Quirigua Project had been scheduled to run from 1974 through 1978. As Sharer explained earlier in this issue, the field seasons were organized to gather information concerning the rise, occupation and demise of the Classic Maya center of Quirigua. But commercial excavation […]
By: Edward M. Schortman
The lower Motagua valley, situated in the tropical lowlands of Guatemala between the major Maya site of Quirigua and the Caribbean coast, has long been the focus of intermittent archaeological work. Karl Sapper in the latter part of the 19th century was the first individual to provide any detailed information on the archaeology of this […]
By: Christopher Jones and Robert J. Sharer
Quirigua’s dynastic and constructional history was of central concern to the site-core excavations. Since we last considered these topics (Jones 1977: Sharer 1978] several new findings at Quirigua have provided information that considerably amplifies the history of the site. Thus, our purpose here is to integrate these new findings into our former reconstruction of Quirigua’s […]
By: Robert J. Sharer
In December 1973, after over one year of feasibility studies and negotiations in Guatemala, a contract forming the Quirigun Project was signed by representatives of the University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, and the Ministry of Education, Government of Guatemala. Once ratified by the President of Guatemala and his Council of Ministers, the Quirigua Project commenced its […]