A Celebration and Critical Assessment of "The Maya Scribe and His World" on its Fiftieth Anniversary

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "A Celebration and Critical Assessment of "The Maya Scribe and His World" on its Fiftieth Anniversary" at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This landmark publication written by Michael D. Coe and published by the Grolier Club in 1973 was in many ways a catalyst for subsequent advances made in ancient Maya art and writing over the past five decades. Despite its many important contributions, including the first publication of the precolumbian book now known as the "Códice Maya de México," the Grolier exhibition was at the center of a heated debate regarding the display and publication of unprovenanced Maya objects. This debate continues, fueled by the continued looting of archaeological sites and the commodification of ancient Maya materials. Ongoing debates delve on the proper ways to weigh the benefits of scholarship against its potential impact on the commercial value of objects, the use and management of “orphaned objects” by scholars and museums, and questions related to repatriation, among others. This session will highlight the contributions of this important milestone in Maya studies and offer critical assessments of the problematic issues surrounding the Grolier exhibition and its outcomes, which are of central concern to Maya archaeologists, epigraphers, and art historians.