Beginning more than three thousand years ago, the region known as Mesoamerica (what we know as Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador) was a vital cradle which held many different but inter-related pre-Columbian civilizations. It is only in the last several decades that historians and archaeologists have begun to understand the area and its peoples more completely.
The Mesoamerica Center aims to facilitate knowledge and learning about Mesoamerican cultures and peoples, highlighting the interdisciplinary strengths of many faculty and students at UT Austin. Its primary focus is on the arts, languages, and archaeology of Mesoamerican indigenous cultures. The UT Mesoamerica Center is widely regarded as the premier center of its kind in the world.
The Center was founded in 1990 by the late Linda Schele. The Mesoamerica Center oversees the renowned yearly Maya Meetings, a premier gathering on Mesoamerican culture in the United States, which brings together scholars and students of all backgrounds. In addition, the Center sponsors research projects by students and faculty from UT and other research institutions, and is the on-line outlet for research publications, including the well-known series Research Reports on Ancient Maya Writing.
