The Mesoamerica Center-University of Texas at Austin

07/14/2026

For the first time we've indentified a Maya mathematician. His name was Sak Tahn Waax, "White Chested Fox." Published today in the journal Antiquity (see link in the comments below).

His moniker translates to "White-chested Fox."

04/13/2026

Upcoming talk at UT by Margarita Cossich Vielman, on the Lienzos de Tlaxcala. Monday, April 27.

02/26/2026

Almost out! A new look at Maya history by David Stuart, written for the non-specialist.

The Four Heavens: A New History of the Ancient Maya.

02/02/2026

Here's more on the place name Maayha' and its connection to the animate earth. Part II of David Stuart's recent look at regional place names in ancient Maya art and writing.

by David Stuart In Part I of this series on Maya regional names, I suggested the reading of a certain hieroglyph in Classic sources as MAAY-HA’, meaning something like “Fawn Waters.” I also p…

12/18/2025

The concept of gratitude among the Aztecs. A short essay by Frances Karttunen, via Princeton University Press.

12/02/2025

Where does the name "Maya" come from? Can we track it in ancient texts from the Classic period? Maybe. Here's Part I of a series of essays on regional place names in the ancient Maya world.

by David Stuart, The University of Texas at Austin Today the word “Maya” stands as a broad cultural and archaeological label, but this wasn’t always the case. Before the late nine…