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Maya at the Playa

Archaeological Institute of America and American Foreign Academic Research

October 1-4, 2009

The 3rd Annual Maya at the Playa conference is organized by American Foreign Academic Research and brought to you in part by the Archaeological Institute of America.   The conference provides Maya archaeology and culture specialists the opportunity to share their ongoing research in a low-key symposia format with offerings for professionals and the general public.   The conference structure encourages active participation, open discussion, and a high level of interaction amongst participants and attendees.  Workshops, discussions, and performances are provided by an international group of Maya specialists known for the quality of their research and their commitment to public education and outreach.   Participants ranging from archaeologists to folklorists are afforded the unique opportunity to re-contextualize their research within a larger context of Maya studies, at the same time creating public access to rigorous scientific and specialist data.  

The conference is sited in beautiful Palm Coast, Florida, and is located near a variety of seaside parks, preserves, and historical and archaeological sites.  Airports are located nearby in the Cities of Daytona, Orlando, and Jacksonville, while our nation‘s longest occupied City, St. Augustine, is only 25 miles away.

Come enjoy hands-on workshops, engaging discussions, traditional Maya stories and cuisine, all in a relaxed format befitting the conference’s seaside venue!  We look forward to seeing you there.

CONFERENCE UPDATES:

Due to some unexpected scheduling conflicts there have been a few modifications to this year’s lineup of presenters. It has been confirmed that, due to scheduling conflicts, Michael Coe and Christophe Helmke will not be presenting at this year's event. Although this was very disappointing news, we were blessed with some amazing additions that help soften the blow.


Dr. Gyles Iannone from Trent University will be be sharing his expertise on the Maya collapse and cave expert, Allan Cobb will be presenting a workshop on ritual cave use. Christophe Helmke will be replaced by the incredibly talented epigrapher, Stanley Guenter from Southern Methodist University and the enormous shoes of Michael Coe will be filled by the only person who could do so; Dr. Merle Greene Robertson. Dr. Robertson is responsible for the preservation of a large majority of Maya epigraphy and iconography in the Maya world and was also the founder of the Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute (PARI). She will be given the, first ever, Maya at the Playa Lifetime Achievement Award and will be the keynote speaker on Saturday evening, October 3.


Although the final schedule of events is currently incomplete, we are going to release the preliminary lecture and workshop abstracts. Keep in mind that this IS incomplete and lacks a few of our offerings. As the conference draws nearer, website updates will be more frequent so keep checking back. We have had a tremendous response to M@P3 and the ticket sales have been unbelievable. There are currently 4 Day All-Access passes still available but the Early Bird Rate will expire at the end of the month. Ticket sales for the Maya Feast on October 3 have also been incredible and only a few seats are left. We have a ton of surprises in store for our guests so start marking your calendar for a great time. Please, feel free to continue contacting us when making your travel arrangements.

On Facebook? Start the conference early by joining the M@P Conference Group. Click the facebook logo to join.

Take the sun home with you with M@P stained glass designed by artist Michael Zimmerman.Stained_Glass.html

CONFERENCE UPDATES (8/23):

We are just over five weeks away from show time and things are starting to buzz here in Florida. Tickets are still available but based upon current trends, we anticipate selling out within the next two weeks. We have also heard that hotel space is filling up so if you purchase a ticket, don’t hesitate to book your room. I only have so many couches! We are one step closer to a final program but we haven’t gone to press. I am going to release the preliminary schedule for the entire weekend but please note that it is NOT THE FINAL DRAFT. M@PSCHEDULE2009WEB.xls Any changes to the schedule will be made on the website and the finished program will be emailed to all of those who purchase tickets. Although the first sessions will begin at 8:30 AM on Thursday, we will begin registration at 7:00 AM. This will be open registration and our table will be in operation throughout the conference. Registration should only take a few moments so there’s no need to arrive before 7:30AM.


There will be surprises around every corner at the conference but we want to fill everyone in on a few of our new additions to help you to plan your travel. Following the closing ceremonies on Sunday, October 4, we will migrate to Barbara Jean’s Restaurant for a wonderful dinner and a night of music and fun. The owner has kindly offered to close his doors to the public to allow for all interested M@P guests to pile in for the evening. All meals will be $15, which will cover dinner and soft drinks. Barbara Jean’s has a full bar and will keep their doors open until 2 AM. Barbara Jean’s crab cakes might be the only thing better than Tacos el Pastor in downtown San Ignacio.


We have had a number of requests for print-size copies of the Maya at the Playa advertisement found in Archaeology Magazine. Although we haven’t received a quote from the printer, we are planning on having a small run of these available at the conference. If you are not attending the conference, we will make these available to you if you contact us. The artist who created the print is Sean Simpson who was actually one of my eleventh grade students at Matanzas High School. He will be onsite during the conference to sign the prints and will be interacting with you in workshops and lectures. I will certainly be recognizing him during the opening ceremonies so be sure and give him a pat on the back for his great work. Thanks again for all of the positive emails and Facebook messages and keep watching for more updates. If there is anything else that you might need in the meantime, remember to give us a shout.

Home_files/M%40P%20Program%202009-Bare%20Bones.pdf
CONFERENCE PROGRAMHome_files/M%40P%20Program%202009-Bare%20Bones_1.pdf
Updated 9/22Home_files/M%40P%20Program%202009-Bare%20Bones_2.pdf
DOWNLOADHome_files/M%40P%20Program%202009-Bare%20Bones_3.pdf

CONFERENCE UPDATES (9/17):

Two weeks left! Although the work will not stop until I see your smiling faces, we are reaching a point where we can finally bring our Maya at the Playa spacecraft into the docking station. Although the changes have been few and very minor, we will have the downloadable version of the Third Annual Maya at the Playa Programs available at the beginning of next week. There will be additional lectures added to the Friday evening schedule but the lecture titles and abstracts have not been finalized. This conference is an ever-changing glob of oobleck and I want to make sure that I have it in a solid and permanent state before I present its final program. At this point, we will only sell 2 more All Access Passes. These will be sold on a “first come, first serve” basis so if you plan on making the trip, please do not delay. If you aren’t able to get an All-Access Pass, remember that the event on Saturday night is free and will have seating for over 900. Please feel free to join us if you have the chance. Have a wonderful weekend, let us know if we can help in anyway, and look for the final program by the first of next week.

CONFERENCE UPDATES (9/22):

We are about to hit the one week mark and the preparations are in a frenzy. I’m receiving boxes of materials at my doorstep every day and it’s like opening birthday presents. I have finalized the schedule (I hope) and I have released a bare bones version (M@P Program 2009-Bare Bones.pdf.) There are a few small program additions that you must allow me to hold off on because I don’t want to give away all of the surprises. You will notice that there are a few dining options listed on the Day at a Glance section of the program. Aside from the Maya Feast, these are not formal events with lectures. These are simply venues who have offered our guests a dynamite deal on dinners and have welcome to host our potentially large group. Everyone is invited to come and eat, drink, and be Maya. We are two tickets away from being a sellout so for the race is on to see who gets those two final seats. If you have not completed your survey already, please consider doing this to help us better plan your trip. Thanks and have a great week. See you soon.