“Classic Maya Music: A discussion of the evidence of musical practices in the Maya area”
Jared Katz
Associate Curator of the Americas and Africa
University of Notre Dame
Music was an essential art form in the daily and ceremonial lives of ancient Maya people and was practiced by a large variety of individuals throughout the ancient Maya area, but is often left out of discussions. While music and sound are inherently ephemeral, people have left behind material culture that allows us to gain insight into such practices. In this lecture, I will discuss pre-contact musical instruments and artistic depictions of musicians. While we will never know exactly what ancient Maya music sounded like, such evidence allows us to gain a more complete understanding of this important art form. Included in this talk will be performances of 3D printed playable replicas of the ancient musical instruments and a brief discussion of recent museum exhibitions and artistic endeavors focused on the topic.