Inka noble woman.

The Ñustas (Inka noble women).

Carol Damian (modern noble woman).

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Institute of Maya Studies Explorer Session Lecture
8 PM – 9:30 PM

"Inka Coya - the Queen"
with Carol Damian, Ph.D.
 

Most people think (as Carol once did) that Inka means the powerful people of Inkan civilization, but truth is that only the king of Inka society was called Inka or more precisely Sapa Inka. His wife was called Coya, who was the queen of that society. In the later years of the empire when the Inka married his full-sister, Coya referred to both his wife and his daughters. However Coyas had power over all subjects at times. This illustrates the link between the political and economic power of women, and the Coya.

Dr. Carol Damian is Professor of Art History in the School of Art and Art History and the Director and Chief Curator of the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University. She is a graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., and received her MA in Pre-Columbian Art and her Ph.D. in Latin American History from the University of Miami. A specialist in Latin American and Caribbean Art, she teaches classes in Pre-Columbian, Colonial, Spanish and Contemporary Latin American Art, Modern Art surveys and Women in Art. Her most recent work has been with Latin American Women and the Cuban exile artists, for whom she has written numerous catalogs and articles. She is the author of The Virgin of the Andes: Art and Ritual in colonial Cuzco (Grassfield Press, 1995) and is the Miami correspondent for Art Nexus and Arte al Dia. She lectures frequently on Latin American and Caribbean art and has curated numerous exhibitions.

Lintel in Structure 22, Copán Lintel over a doorway at Kolhunlich. The Temple of the Seven Dolls, Dzibilchaltún.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

IMS Presentation:
8 PM – 9:30 PM

"An Overview of IMS Research in Mesoamerica"
with Joaquín J. Rodríguez III, PE, SECB
 

This program will cover an overview of the ongoing research projects at The Institute of Maya Studies by our IMS Director of Research, Joaquín Rodríguez. Our research covers the topics: Stability of Vaults: The purpose of this study is to calculate and compare the mass stability and internal stresses of Maya vaults. Maya Lintel Beams: This study is now complete and has been recently updated with the latest discoveries at Palenque and corrected with new data from Dzibilchaltún. Maya Lime Mortar Mixes: The analysis and investigation of Maya mortar mixes involves chemical, isotopic and physical characteristics of the mortars used to determine properties and use. Dzibilchaltún Forensic Analysis: involving material testing, stress analysis and stability computations especially at the Temple of the Seven Dolls.

Mr. Rodríguez is a Professional Registered Engineer with a Bachelor of Science from Stetson University, his BCE is from the University of Florida and his Certification as Archaeology Field Technician is from Florida Atlantic University. Joaquín is a consultant in structural preservation and restoration of historic buildings as well as an expert witness in forensic engineering of structural failures. He has worked for over 20 years with archaeologists in investigations of ancient edifices from Crete, Greece and Rome to North, Central and South America. For the past 15 years, he has been investigating Maya construction technology and practices.