Tulane Maya Symposium Keynote Address with Dr. Marcello Canuto: “Precocious Pioneering, Steady Scholarship: M.A.R.I.’s Century of Indigenous Research and Partnership”
Fri, March 21st at 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Free
In celebration of the centennial of the Middle America Research Institute (M.A.R.I.), director Dr. Marcello A. Canuto gives a lecture in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts: “Precocious Pioneering, Steady Scholarship: M.A.R.I.’s Century of Indigenous Research and Partnership.”
This program is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged. Doors open at 6 pm. The talk is at 6:30 pm, followed by a reception in the Coleman Courtyard with small bites by Café NOMA.
About the Lecture
Since 1924, the Middle American Research Institute (M.A.R.I.) at Tulane University has conducted groundbreaking research on Indigenous cultures across Mexico and Central America. From pioneering excavations at ancient Maya cities like Uxmal to cutting‐edge lidar surveys, robust collection digitization, and community‐based collaborations, M.A.R.I. has consistently advanced scholarship and preservation efforts. As M.A.R.I. celebrates its centennial, this presentation reflects on the Institute’s achievements, its continued dedication to honoring Indigenous perspectives, and its evolving role in highlighting Indigenous perspectives and bridging past and present.
About Marcello A. Canuto
Marcello A. Canuto is currently Director of the Middle American Research Institute and Professor of Anthropology at Tulane University. He received his BA from Harvard University in 1991 and his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. Before coming to Tulane in 2009, he was an Assistant Professor at Yale University.
He has undertaken archaeological excavations in the Maya region, South America, India, Nnorth Africa, and the northeast US. His primary research interest in the Maya area has been on the integrative mechanisms that the ancient Maya used to build and maintain a socio-politically complex society throughout both the Preclassic and Classic periods. More broadly, his interests include household and community dynamics, the development of socio-political complexity in ancient societies, the definition of identity through material culture, and the modern social contexts of archaeology in Mesoamerica. His past research in Honduras investigated the nature of ethnic diversity at Copan.
He now co-directs a project in the understudied Northwest Peten, Guatemala where he investigates the construction of social categories and the mechanisms by which complex socio-political organizations develop and were maintained.
About the Middle American Research Institute
Founded in 1924, the Middle American Research Institute (MARI) at Tulane University strives to promote greater understanding of the vibrant and diverse cultures of Middle America. It stewards an extensive collection of textiles, artifacts, and an archive of letters, field notes, maps, and photographs from the scores of field projects it has sponsored and continues to sponsor. We strive to make these accessible to researchers and the general public through a variety of exhibitions, workshops, and symposia.
Furthermore, MARI continues to support anthropological, archaeological, ethnohistorical, linguistic, and ethnographic research projects throughout Mexico and Central America.