INTRODUCTION: This page serves as a gateway to scholarly sources relating to the Classic-period Maya civilization. The intellectual achievements of the Maya, including the development of a complex, fully functional writing system, continue to fascinate and inspire contemporary observers. Ancient scribes carved or painted glyphs onto limestone stelae, fine polychrome pottery, and other media. They also wrote in bark-paper books, only four of which survived the ravages of time, a humid climate, and the Conquest. Fortunately, numerous texts of considerable length remain, as for example the famous riser text on Copan's Hieroglyphic Staircase. The Maya have finally emerged from the shadows of prehistory.

ACCESS NOTE: Non-Temple students and other interested parties are encouraged to make extensive use of this research guide. Most listed sources are freely accessible. A few are restricted to current Temple University students, faculty, and staff. When clicked, these will prompt for a Temple Accessnet username and password. If you have forgotten your Accessnet username, or have not yet been assigned one, please contact Computer Services.

ASSOCIATIONS

• Center for Maya Research: "The Center for Maya Research (CMR) is a not-for-profit educational organization founded by George Stuart in 1984. Its purposes are (1) to promote research in the Maya area in the fields of anthropology art history, including archaeology, epigraphy, ethnohistory, ethnology, and linguistics; (2) to publish educational materials and research findings; and (3) to conduct small-scale research projects related to these purposes."
• Center for the History of Ancient American Art & Culture (University of Texas, Austin): "CHAAAC, the Center for the History of Ancient American Art and Culture, is designed to stimulate and facilitate the creative exploration of ancient American civilizations and to establish contact between scholars in the Americas, The University of Texas at Austin, and the rest of the world."
• Centro de Investigaciones Arqueológicas y Antropológicas (Universidad de Valle, Guatemala)
• FAMSI: Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies: Quite simply, the best of the Mesoamerican Studies Web. This site hosts maps, research reports, several unrivaled image databases, and the indispensable Bibliografia Mesoamericana.
• Institute of Maya Studies: "The Institute of Maya Studies, Inc. (IMS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1971 and is affiliated with the Miami Museum of Science. Our mission is to educate the public on the pre-Columbian cultures of the Americas, with an emphasis on the study of the Maya."
• Maya Society of Minnesota: "The Maya Society of Minnesota is a non-profit, member supported organization, founded in 1978 by individuals interested in learning more, and promulgating knowledge, about Mesoamerican peoples and cultures which flourished before the Spanish conquest."
• Pre-Columbian Society (University of Pennsylvania Museum): " A group of amateurs and professionals engaged in the study of the indigenous peoples of the New World, their cultures and their descendents." The University of Pennsylvania has a longstanding tradition of Maya studies.
• WAYEB: European Association of Mayanists: "The European Association of Mayanists, Wayeb, is an academically oriented non-profit association that promotes Maya Studies in Europe. It was created in 1996 by a group of young scholars seeking to build academic contacts. . . . It is Wayeb's main objective to develop and promote research on Maya civilization by associating, uniting and disseminating the scientific efforts and actions of European scholars, students and amateurs from various (sub-)disciplines of the field."
• Pre-Columbian Society of Washington, D.C.: " Established in 1993, the Society exists to increase awareness and understanding of Pre-Columbian societies and to provide a forum for exchange of information regarding those cultures. The Society seeks to promote interest in Pre-Columbian cultures through monthly meetings, publication of a monthly newsletter, yearly symposia, Special Interest Groups (SIGs). and organized tours. The Pre-Columbian Society welcomes all people interested in ancient American studies regardless of their level of knowledge or expertise."

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BOOKS

Temple students should search Diamond, TU Libraries' online catalog, to find books about the ancient Maya.

Non-Temple students should search Open WorldCat (via Google) or RedLightGreen to find books in local academic and public libraries.

All researchers can begin with these subject headings:

Suggested book titles:

• Coe, Michael D.
• The Art of the Maya Scribe (1998)
• Breaking the Maya Code (1992)
• Proskouriakof, Tatiana. Album of Maya Architecture. (1963)
• Schele, Linda, et. al. Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art. (1986)
• Weeks, John. Maya Civilization. [bibliography] (1993)
• Spinden, Herbert J. Study of Maya Art. [Tyler stacks] (1913, 1957)

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DATABASES

Essential Database

• Bibliografia Mesoamericana (FAMSI): A free, groundbreaking indexing project jointly developed by the University of Pennsylvania's Museum Library and the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies (FAMSI).  The Mesoamerican Bibliography provides access to the scholarly literature on ancient Mesoamerica from 1960 to date. "Coverage includes books, edited volumes, festschrifts, journal articles, essays in collected works, dissertations and theses, obituaries (2 pages +), CD-ROMs, audio and video tapes, and films pertaining to Mesoamerica. It will not include book reviews, sheet maps, working papers and other gray literature, juvenile literature, newspapers, unpublished manuscripts, and other unpublished materials." Very highly recommended.

Important Databases

• Anthropology Plus (Anthropological Index and Anthropological Literature): A combined database that indexes over 1,900 journals in archaeology and related disciplines.  Mayanists will find many citations of interest.
• Art Index (September 1984 - present) and Art Index Retrospective (1929 - 1984): Indexes more than 200 key international arts publications. The database cites articles from periodicals published throughout the world. Periodical coverage includes English-language periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins, as well as periodicals published in French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Dutch. In addition to articles, Art Index Retrospective indexes reproductions of works of art that appear in indexed periodicals.

• Electronic Human Relations Area Files (eHRAF): HRAF's mission is to encourage and facilitate the study of human culture, society, and behavior. This mission is accomplished mainly through the compilation, indexing, and distribution of a collection of ethnographic texts. Scholars' understanding of the ancient Maya is partly based upon ethnographic studies conducted during the colonial and national periods. eHRAF contains extensive full-text coverage of the Yucatec Maya.

• Grove Art Online: Grove Art Online provides Web access to the entire text of The Dictionary of Art, ed. Jane Turner (1996, 34 vols.) and The Oxford Companion to Western Art, ed. Hugh Brigstocke (2001). It offers ongoing additions of new and updated articles, over 1,500 thumbnail art images and line drawings displayed in the text of articles, extensive image links, and sophisticated search and navigation tools. Search for the word "Maya" in the Index A-Z.

• Handbook of Latin American Studies: A bibliographical index to works in the humanities and social sciences, reference books, book reviews, book chapters, articles, and conference proceedings.

• Hispanic American Periodicals Index (HAPI): This database indexes over 400 critical periodicals in Latin American Studies. It focuses on all aspects of contemporary Latin American culture, including the border regions shared by Mexico and the United States.

Related Databases

• Academic Search Premier (EbscoHost): The Libraries' most comprehensive, interdisciplinary periodical database; It provides full-text access to more than 3,500 peer-reviewed journals.

• ARTBibliographies Modern: Abstracts of journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, dissertations, and exhibition reviews. The scope of ARTbibliographies Modern extends from artists and movements beginning with Impressionism in the late 19th century, up to the most recent works and trends in the late 20th century. Useful for finding information on the influence of pre-columbian art on contemporary artists.

• Bibliography of the History of Art: BHA is the most comprehensive art bibliography worldwide, covering European and American art from late antiquity to the present. This database indexes and abstracts art-related books, conference proceedings and dissertations, exhibition and dealer's catalogs, and articles from over 4,300 periodicals.

• netLibrary: The premier source for electronic books; search by the same LC subject headings suggested above.

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JOURNALS

Temple students should search one or more of the above databases for article citations. Journal Finder can be used to locate full-text articles online or in the physical library. Journal Finder provides direct links to the appropriate full-text database(s) and/or Diamond.

Non-temple students may use the Mesoamerican Bibliography to find article citations.

Many of the journal titles listed below are available full-text via Temple's Paley Library in print or online formats; all are available in print from the University of Pennsylvania's Museum Library. Before visiting Penn, however, make sure to fully utilize Temple's collections or those of your local library. Access to Penn's Museum Library is unrestricted on weekdays after 10:00 am (except on Monday). Bring photo identification for entry.

Find additional journal titles:

• Indians of Central America -- Antiquities -- Periodicals
  • Diamond
  • Open WorldCat
• Indians of Mexico -- Antiquities -- Periodicals
  • Diamond
  • Open WorldCat

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LIBRARIES & MUSEUMS

• Benson Latin American Collection -  Austin,Texas (University of Texas, General Libraries)
• Carlos Pellicar Museum - Tabasco, Mexico (FLAAR)
• Copan Museum - Copan, Honduras (FLAAR)
• de Young Museum, Art of the Americas - Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, CA
• Dumbarton Oaks Pre-Columbian Studies - Washington D.C.
• European Museums with Maya Collections (via WAYEB)
• Hudson Museum - Orono, ME (University of Maine)
  • Worldviews: Maya Ceramics from the Palmer Collection
• Latin American Library of the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library - New Orleans, LA (Tulane University)
• Lowe Art Museum, Art of the Ancient Americas - Miami/Coral Gables, FL
• Kimbell Art Museum Pre-Columbian Collection - Forth Worth, TX
• Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York, NY
  • Maya Area, 1000 B.C.-1 A.D.
  • Maya Area, 1-500 A.D.
  • Maya Area, 500-1000 A.D.
  • Maya Area, 1000-1400 A.D.
  • Maya Area, Native Peoples, 1400-1600 A.D.
• Mint Museum of Art - Charlotte, N.C.
  • The Sport of Life and Death: The Mesoamerican Ballgame
• Museo Nacional de Antropologia - Mexico, D.F.
• Museo Popol Vuh - Guatemala City, Guatemala (FLAAR images from Popol Vuh Museum)
• Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology - Cambridge, MA (Harvard University)
• San Diego Museum of Man, The Story of the Maya Monuments
• University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York
  • Facsimiles of Mesoamerican Codices: Useful bibliography of codex facsimiles held by SUNY, Albany Libraries.
• University of Pennsylvania Museum Library - Philadelphia, PA
• University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology - Philadelphia, PA
  • Mesoamerican Gallery
  • Tikal Digital Access Project

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SELECTED INTERNET RESOURCES:

• Altar Q and Copan
• Ancient Limestone Quarries of Nakbe (College of Southern Idaho)
• Ancient Scripts of the World
• Archaeological Sites of the Yucatan Peninsula
• Blue Creek Site (Maya Research Program)
• Caracol Archaeological Project (University of Central Florida)
• Cihuatan Archaeological Project (San Francisco State University)
• Copan Museum by Barbara W. and William L. Fash
• El Pilar Program (University of California, Santa Barbara)
• FAMSI: Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies
  • John Montgomery Drawing Collection
  • Linda Schele Drawings
  • Maya Vase Database (Justin Kerr)
  • A PreColumbian Portfolio (Justin Kerr)
  • Maya Hieroglyphic Writing
• Hieroglyphs and History at Copan by David Stuart (Peabody Museum, Harvard University)
• Journey Through Tikal
• Jutiapa Survey (Boston University)
• K'axob and Xibun, Belize (Boston University)
• La Milpa Archaeological Project (Boston University)
• Maya Archaeology - FLAAR (Bowling Green State University)
• Maya Art & Books: International Photographic Archive of Maya Art - FLAAR (Bowling Green State University)
• Maya Cosmos (California State University, Hayward)
• Maya Hieroglyphic Database Project (University of California, Davis)
• Mayan Epigraphic Database Project (University of Virginia)
• Mayan Art: Vase Painting and Copan Sculpture
• The Mayan Languages (University of Southern Denmark)
• MayaRuins.com (Barbara McKenzie)
• Mesoweb: An Exploration of Mesoamerican Cultures (Precolumbian Art Research Institute)
  • Merle Green Robertson's Rubbings of Maya Sculpture
• Rabbit in the Moon (Nancy McNelly)
• Santa Rosa Archaeological Project (Boston University)
• Site Q Sculptures compiled by Peter Mathews (Archaeology Magazine)
• The Belize Postclassic Project (State University of New York, Albany)
• UT-LANIC Anthropology & Archaeology Links (Latin American Network Information Center, University of Texas at Austin)
• Western Belize Regional Cave Project (Indiana University)
• Yaxuna Archaeological Project (Southern Methodist University and California State University, Hayward)

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