2025 Tatiana Proskouriakoff Lecture
Free Hybrid Lecture
Location: Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA
Speaker: Dr. Clemency Chase Coggins, Professor Emerita of Archaeology and Art History, Boston University; Research Associate, Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University
When the looting and illicit trade of cultural artifacts surged In the 1960s, one voice rose in defense of archaeological sites in the Americas—Clemency Coggins. A pioneering art historian and legendary figure in Maya archaeology, Dr. Coggins stood with Ian Graham in calling for ethical stewardship of cultural heritage.
Join us for an illuminating evening as Dr. Coggins recounts her groundbreaking advocacy that helped shape U.S. policy and UNESCO conventions on cultural property. With vivid stories and a special video presentation, she reflects on her collaborations with notable figures such as Tatiana Proskouriakoff and the role of the Peabody Museum in the protection of Maya heritage. This conversation, moderated by Maya Corpus Director Barbara Fash and research associate Steven Quinchia, will bring to life the intersection of scholarship, activism, and international policy—and the extraordinary woman who helped change the course of cultural preservation.
A reception will follow in the galleries of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 11 Divinity Avenue.
Advance registration is recommended.
Free admission. Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage starting at 4:00 pm. Presented by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture.
About the Speaker
Professor Clemency Coggins has served on the Boston University faculty since 1989 in the Archaeology and in the Art History departments. Professor Coggins received a BA from Wellesley College, after studying a year in France, and her MA and PhD from Harvard University in Fine Arts, with a dissertation on the reconstruction of historical context at the ancient Maya site of Tikal, Guatemala. She also taught at Harvard, the University of Texas, and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico. Most of her research and publications concern Maya and Mesoamerican archaeology, international cultural property, museums, and the international trade in antiquities. In 1997 she received the Gold Medal for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement from the Archaeological Institute of America. She has also received awards for outstanding contributions from Rutgers University, the American Society for Conservation Archaeology, and for outstanding service from the United States Information Agency.
