Learning Curve Mesoamerica: from the ancient Maya to magical realism
Long before the arrival of Europeans, the Americas were home to some of the ancient world’s greatest cities, most dazzling civilisations and sublime arts.
Over four lectures, Julian Droogan will trace the archaeological and artistic wonders of pre-Columbian civilisations including the Aztecs, Maya and Inca.
Explore mysterious pyramids, lost cities and art treasures uncovered from the jungle, hear mythological stories retold, find out about recent discoveries and learn about the important and fascinating connections these ancient cultures have with art and society today.
Dr Julian Droogan is an associate professor in the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University. He has a PhD in Studies in Religions and expertise in the material culture of ancient religions. His research focuses on the connections between religion and contemporary global politics and security. He has presented other popular Learning Curve series and led world art tours for the Art Gallery Society of New South Wales.
Each lecture will be held on Friday and repeated on Saturday in the Domain Theatre. Each session includes a 15-minute intermission, during which tea and coffee will be provided in the Domain Theatre foyer.
Learning Curve Mesoamerica: from the ancient Maya to magical realism
Various Fridays and Saturdays
10.30am
3 May – 1 June 2024
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Naala Nura, our south building
Lower level 3, Domain Theatre
Per lecture
$45 non-member
$35 member
$20 student
Series subscription
$170 non-member
$130 member
Bookings and enquiries: 02 9225 1878
Transaction terms and conditions, including cancellations and refunds
If booking tickets on behalf of others, you are responsible for communicating all correspondence from the Art Gallery Society of NSW to them.
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Toltecs: mysterious pyramids and sacred mountains
Sacred mountains, subterranean rivers, caves and smouldering volcanos are at the heart of ancient Mesoamerican myth and cosmology. These special places were considered divine symbolic centres of the universe, and whole cities and kingdoms were built around them. In this lecture, we look at the pre-Aztec peoples, their sacred landscapes and the great city of Teotihuacan (sometimes called the ‘Rome of the Americas’). Learn how pre-Hispanic ideas of sacred cosmology influenced later arts and religion, including the famous ‘Black Madonna’ Virgin of Guadalupe.
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Maya: hidden temples in the jungle
Few topics in archaeology remain as compelling as the sudden and unexplained collapse of the major Mayan city-states from around 800 CE. In this lecture, explore the artistic and mythic world of the Maya, including their unique expertise in mathematics, astronomy, calendrics and writing. Visiting the jungles of the Yucatan, Chiapas and the Guatemalan highlands, discover the growth and decline of the classic Mayan cities, and how their culture survived this and later Spanish colonialism to advance to a contemporary artistic and spiritual revival.
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Inca: lost cities of South America
Unbeknownst to the Mesoamerican world centred on Mexico, a second centre of pre-Columbian civilisation developed independently far to the south in the Peruvian Andes. Although the vast Incan Empire and enigmatic site of Machu Picchu are perhaps the best known, South America was home to many complex cultures and civilisations with their own unique mythic and artistic worlds. In this lecture, learn about the ‘lost’ cities and cultures of South America, and explore the ways in which they continue to influence arts and politics in the 21st century.