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Topic: Archaeology of Western Mexico Talk title: "A Question of Life or Death: The Hollow Figures of Western Mexico" Join the Parthenon and archaeologist Christopher Beekman for a free talk on the archaeology of western Mexico. The archaeology of western Mexico has for years been defined by the vast collections of hollow “shaft tomb” figures taken from tombs in the states of Jalisco, Colima, and Nayarit. Interpretations of the figures have been hampered by the way in which they were looted and trafficked into galleries and private hands. Archaeological excavations in recent years have helped to better establish the contexts in which they were used and allow us to answer the question, “Were they about life or death?” This talk continues a conversation about the importance of archaeological context, addressed in the Parthenon’s 2024 exhibition “Repatriation and Its Impact.” About the speaker: Dr. Christopher Beekman is professor of anthropology at the University of Colorado, Denver. His research focuses on sociopolitical practices in ancient western Mexico, and that region’s interaction with its neighbors. His books include Shaft Tombs and Figures in West Mexican Society (2016, edited with Robert Pickering), and his most recent is Waves of Influence: Pacific Maritime Networks connecting Mexico, Central America, and northwestern South America (2022, edited with Colin McEwan). He received his PhD from Vanderbilt University in 1996. This lecture is the Archaeological Institute for America’s James and Jenny Russell lecture for 2025, a grant awarded to the AIA Nashville society.