Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 5 p.m. (coffee at 4:30, refreshments to follow) in Humanities 1, 210
Dr. McNeil will speak on the use of the chocolate tree in Mesoamerican communities, with a focus on the ancient Maya polity of Copan in Honduras. For the pre-Columbian people, cacao came to be associated with markers of life passage events (such as birth, marriage, and death), was linked to rulership and power, and used as a medium of exchange. Dr. McNeil's research focuses on the exploitation and management of natural resources in the development of complex societies. She has worked at the pre-Columbian Maya polity center of Copan in Honduras since 1999, and has also conducted research in Guatemala and Mexico. Dr.McNeil's lecture is part of an ongoing series on "Archaeology and the Ancient World," sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America and the President's Chair in Ancient Studies. More information about the lecture can be found on the web site of the Santa Cruz Chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America.
