Bringing the Past to Life, Part 1: Papers in Honor of John M. D. Pohl

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Bringing the Past to Life, Part 1: Papers in Honor of John M. D. Pohl" at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This double symposium brings together a select group of archaeologists, ethnohistorians, museum professionals, and social justice advocates who have either collaborated with John M. D. Pohl directly or took inspiration from his remarkable half-century career. A trailblazer in the study of Mixtec, Nahua, and Zapotec civilizations of southern Mexico, Dr. Pohl is equally noted for bringing the ancient Indigenous past of the Americas to life through his numerous publications, collaborative field research, codical studies, blockbuster exhibitions, film and media production, dazzling artwork, and not least his inspired teaching at various universities across the United States. The panels are organized around two fundamental areas that reflect John Pohl’s interdisciplinary endeavors, the first in scholarship and the second in media and advocacy. The speakers are both current and former students together with emerging and senior scholars who are currently engaged in innovative research ranging from investigations into the Classic, Postclassic, and colonial cultural transformations across Mexico, Guatemala, and the United States; the use of cutting-edge technologies in the field and lab; digital media in museums and architectural reconstructions; and Indigenous representation in the public interpretation of their cultural histories.