30th European Maya Conference: Bratislava, Slovakia
“TIME IN MESOAMERICA”
November 24th to 29th 2025
The 30th Annual European Maya Conference is organized by Wayeb – the European Association of Mayanists – in cooperation with the Center for Mesoamerican Studies, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava. The conference will begin with an introductory lecture on the evening of Monday 24th November, followed by three days of workshops (25th-27th November), and concluding with a two-day symposium held from Friday 28th November to Saturday 29th November 2025.
The theme for the 30th European Maya Conference is TIME IN MESOAMERICA. The topic will be explored from a variety of perspectives.
During this conference, we will explore questions concerning timekeeping, and the significance of time, in Mesoamerica, including:
– Mesoamerican Calendars:
- How did different Mesoamerican cultures reckon with time and practice timekeeping? What were the key features and variations in calendar systems?
– Origins and development of calendars:
- How did Mesoamerican calendar systems evolve over time? What were the influences and innovations that shaped their development?
- Astronomical influences on calendar development: How did astronomical observations and knowledge shape the development and structure of Mesoamerican calendars?
– Perception of time:
- How did Mesoamerican cultures perceive the nature of time? What were the implications of cyclical concepts for their cosmology, rituals, and daily life?
- How is the concept of time represented in Mesoamerican languages and writing systems?
– Chronology in Mesoamerican archaeology:
- How do archaeologists use chronological data to understand the development and interactions of Mesoamerican societies? What are the challenges and opportunities in establishing accurate chronologies for the region?
- Dating methods and their applications: How are different dating methods used in establishing chronologies in Mesoamerican archaeology?
- Case studies in Mesoamerican chronology: Exploration of specific archaeological sites or regions and the challenges of establishing their chronological frameworks.
– Temporal rituals and ceremonies:
- How did Mesoamerican cultures mark and celebrate significant points in time? What were the roles of rituals and ceremonies in their understandings and experiences of time?
– Ethnohistorical perspectives on time:
- How do ethnohistoric sources, such as colonial-era documents and indigenous accounts, contribute to our understanding of Mesoamerican concepts of time and their changes over time?
- Continuity and change in timekeeping practices: From endogenous innovations to outside influence, how have indigenous communities in Mesoamerica maintained or adapted their timekeeping practices, both prior to European invasion and in the face of colonial and modern influences?
– Archaeoastronomy and time:
- How did Mesoamerican cultures incorporate astronomical observations and knowledge into the built environment and cultural practices?
- Alignment of structures and celestial events: How do the alignments of architectural features and urban planning reflect Mesoamerican understandings of time and the cosmos (including the temporality of the built environment and how it reflects broader cosmovision)?
– Archaeological approaches to the study of time:
- How do archaeologists investigate and interpret the material remains of past timekeeping practices, rituals, and ceremonies?
- What are the key archaeological methods and techniques used to study time in Mesoamerica, including the analysis of stratigraphy, artifacts, architecture, iconography, and epigraphy?
- How can archaeological data be integrated with other sources of information, such as ethnohistoric accounts and astronomical observations, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of Mesoamerican concepts of time?
- How do archaeologists’ own conceptions of time influence or guide interpretations of past cultures/lifeways in Mesoamerica?
The theme of the conference will be approached from various disciplinary points of view – including (but not restricted to) anthropology, archaeology, archaeoastronomy, biology, epigraphy, history, iconography, linguistics, and psychology – as well as interdisciplinary approaches exploring the intersection of these disciplinary perspectives.
Submission of abstracts
The Wayeb Conference Board invites the submission of abstracts concerning the conference theme Time in Mesoamerica presented above under the headline Call for Papers. Submissions from a variety of perspectives and sub-disciplines of Maya and Mesoamerican Studies are encouraged. Presentations in English and Spanish will be accepted. Abstracts may not exceed 250 words.
Contributions of authors who submit more than one abstract including co-authored papers will not be considered and co-authorship needs to be indicated upon submission.
The abstracts will be forwarded without the author’s particulars to an anonymous Review Committee that will be selected by the Wayeb Conference Board. Therefore, it is imperative that submissions are ONLY made to the above address. Submissions may not be made to conference organisers nor any other members of Wayeb. Submissions sent to any address other than the above will be immediately disqualified.
Deadline for the Call for papers is April 15th, 2025.
NB: On the Bratislava call for papers submission form there is an admin setting to “share results summary with respondents.” Apparently, this was accidentally turned on at some point in the submission process (now turned off), which allowed people who submitted their abstracts to see other submissions as well if they happened to click on the link “see previous responses.” However, we have ensured that none of the people in the forthcoming Review Committee has had access to the information. This, of course, is easily resolved as (1) there are only two people with admin rights to the form and neither of them are (or can be) part of the Review Committee and (2) only those who filled in the form to submit their abstracts (and also happened to click on the link “see previous responses”) could have had access to the other submissions. Furthermore, members of the Review Committee cannot submit abstracts to the EMC, so they could not have had access to the information. Consequently, the blind review is still in effect. We apologize for this flaw and will continue working on making the submission of abstracts as flawless and as easy as possible in the future.
For more information, please contact the Wayeb Conference Board ConferenceBoard@wayeb.org