For the Classic Maya, night was an alien landscape, antithetical and inimical to humans, the domain of predatory, rapacious animals such as jaguars, bats, and mosquitos. As I’ve shown previously (Zender 2010, 2012), such creatures are classified in Maya writing and art as “nocturnal” through the visual infixation of an element reading AHK’AB ‘darkness’. Some of these beings are actually nightmarish, such as the shrieking bats often shown holding plates of dismembered human body parts, their wings marked with disembodied eyes, crossed bones, and mandibles.

History of the West Indies in general, and Guadeloupe in particular, oscillates between historical facts and fictions. How does a simple myth become a definitive history that inspires heroes and political action? How is a myth created? What are the components of the myth of Mulâtresse Solitude, a character who inspired novels of authors such as André Schwarz-Bart and his wife Simone, as well as most accounts of the Resistance in Guadeloupe? How did the myth of Solitude come about, and how do we know she ever really lived? 

The Stone Center is organizing the 21st annual Tulane University Student Conference on Latin America (TUSCLA) on Saturday, November 16th, 2024 at Jones Hall. The Stone Center invites all undergraduate and graduate students, both inside and outside of the Latin American Studies programs, to come attend, present, or speak about their work on Latin America.

The one-day colloquium Caribbean Studies at Tulane: Today and Tomorrow looks to not only celebrate the breadth of knowledge and experience that our faculty and students have in and on the region, but also to meditate on what’s next for Caribbean Studies in general in academia, and more importantly on our campus. The colloquium will feature graduate student panels, a faculty roundtable, and a keynote from Professor L. Rosanne Adderley.

COLLOQUIUM SCHEDULE

Celebrate your ancestors with Krewe de Mayahuel! We have planned an exciting afternoon of Mexican music, ballet folklórico, danza Azteca, food, drinks, arts, crafts, face painting and community service groups at Markey Park; followed by a procession to St. Roch Cemetery at 7:00 p.m.