Sackler/Hammond Distinguished Lecture keynote speaker, Dr. Mary Miller, Dean of Yale College

The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Foundation has endowed a Distinguished Lecture in Archaeology at Boston University in honor of Professor Norman Hammond, whose research on the Maya civiliaation in Central America has been supported by the Foundation for more than a decade. Reception to follow at the Castle, 225 Bay State Road. "The Maya Murals of Bonampak: Life and Death at a Royal Court" Abstract: Painted 1200 years ago at a small Maya city in Chiapas, Mexico, the wall paintings of Bonampak show the splendor of an ancient royal court. Rich pigments in many colors bring to life scenes of battle, human sacrifice, and ritual. Elaborate textiles and towering headdresses emphasize the status of Bonampak's ruler and his nobles as they receive foreign emissaries and tribute, engage in court ceremonial, and strip the clothes from fallen captives. Reported only in 1946, the Bonapak murals are brought to life by Professor Miller using both newly rediscovered and freshly commissioned photographs as well as a series of recently-completed reconstructions. They offer a unique window into the vanished past of a great American civilization."