Robert Redford Conservancy Presents a John D. Sullivan Memorial 7C Event: Maya Wisdom and the Survival of Our Planet

The Robert Redford Conservancy presents a John D. Sullivan Memorial 7C Event

Maya Wisdom and the Survival of Our Planet

February 26 | Benson Auditorium, Pitzer College
Book Talk and Q&A: 4:15–5:15 p.m.  | Reception: 5:15–6 p.m.

Featuring Lisa J. Lucero, Professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Moderated by Susan Phillips, director of the Robert Redford Conservancy at Pitzer College

For this talk, Lucero discusses her recent book, Maya Wisdom and the Survival of Our Planet. She presents its major themes, including the Maya inclusive or non-anthropocentric worldview where they co-exist with nonhumans as part of the world, not separate from it. She highlights how the ancestral Maya collaborated with nonhumans resulting in a tropical landscape with green cities, rural farmsteads, gardens, fields, biodiverse forests, and sacred places. The Maya sustainably farmed for millennia without destroying their environment and provided tribute to their kings in 100s of cities. In return, kings performed vital ceremonies and maintained reservoirs through the annual dry season—a balancing act that succeeded for over 1,000 years. Maya insights are vital for the survival of our planet and call for collaborating with rather than dominating the nonhuman world, and their traditional knowledge provides concrete solutions to sustainably address climate change and environmental degradation. Maya resilience is a testament for how to move forward, and Lucero's book provides a roadmap for families to global corporations on how to do so.

Maya Wisdom and the Survival of Our Planet will be released January 27, 2025 (Oxford University Press); it is available to pre-order for $17.47 using this promotion code: AAFLYG6 (regular price, $24.95).

Lisa J. Lucero (PhD, UCLA) is a professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. As an archaeologist, her interests focus on ritual and power, water management, the impact of climate change on society, sustainability in tropical regions, and the ancestral Maya. She has been conducting archaeology in Belize for over 35 years, authoring seven books and an array of articles and book chapters. She uses insights from past and present Maya knowledge and practices to promote sustainable strategies to address global climate change.

For more information, contact the Robert Redford Conservancy via Claudia_Prats@cqrccy.com.