Throwback to Faculty Lecture 'Water Legacy: Mayan World Meets the Netherlands'
On March 11, a travelling photo exposition on the Mayan archaeological site El Mirador, in Guatemala, saw its festive opening at the Van Steenis building. For the occasion a special Faculty Lecture was organised, entitled 'Water Legacy: Mayan World Meets the Netherlands'. We were honored to receive the Ambassador of Guatemala to the Netherlands, Her Excellency Ana Cristina Rodriguez Pineda, among many other dignitaries.
El Mirador
The ancient Maya city of El Mirador, located in the Guatemalan jungle, was one of the most important and largest cities during the Preclassic period (ca. 1200 BCE–150 CE). Excavations led by the “Proyecto Arqueológico Cuenca Mirador” have uncovered evidence of vast settlements, temples, ball courts, and roads. In recent years, the use of LiDAR technology led to the identification of even more Preclassic Maya sites in the area.
During the event on March 11, Richard D. Hansen and Enrique Hernández, members of the archaeological project discussed the water management strategies used by the inhabitants of El Mirador and its surroundings. Opal Morales Asencio, corporate lawyer and PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam, discussed water management in the Netherlands, in relation to that of Mayans.
The archaeologists also spoke about the future of the site, and the way small-scale tourism can be valuable for the archaeological site, the local population, as well as the preservation of the forests in the area.
