Details of the images above follow the story. Images courtesy of The Latin American Library.

When Luke Auld-Thomas was researching master’s programs in anthropology back in 2012, there was one university that far outshined the others. Through the Middle American Research Institute (M.A.R.I.), Tulane University had everything he wanted related to studying the vibrant cultures of Mesoamerica, a geographic region of the Americas that includes Mexico and Central America.

“I applied to Tulane because of M.A.R.I.,” Auld-Thomas said. “I wanted to study in a setting where I could find the answer to basically anything about Mesoamerica right down the hall, and M.A.R.I. is basically the only place in the English-speaking world where that kind of expertise is concentrated under one roof.”

The origins of this research began in 1924 with the founding of what was then the Department of Middle American Research at Tulane, an appropriate setting given New Orleans’ longstanding economic and cultural ties with cities in the Gulf region and the Caribbean.

The department was established when Tulane acquired the William Edward Gates Collection of rare books and manuscripts dating from the earliest years of Spanish rule to the Mexican Revolution in the 1910s. In 1940, what was then the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences created a “Committee on Middle American Studies” to serve as a bridge between M.A.R.I’s research mission and the curriculum of the university. At this point, the department was renamed the Middle American Research Institute and became eligible for foundation funding that linked its research mission to a broader educational mission about the Latin American region.

M.A.R.I. was one of the first academic institutes in the United States to advocate for the study and preservation of the material culture of the Indigenous communities in Mexico and Central America and has supported scientific fieldwork while also preserving and curating its archaeological, ethnographic and archival collections.

It has sponsored nearly a century of ethnographic, historical, linguistic and archaeological research in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and El Salvador. Countless scholars have conducted research in these countries with often spectacular results — all of whom were trained by or associated with M.A.R.I.

“As M.A.R.I. stands poised to enter its second century, it represents both a moment of celebration and a renewed commitment to its enduring mission,” said Marcello Canuto, a professor of anthropology who has served as director of M.A.R.I. since 2009. “M.A.R.I. has distinguished itself through pioneering research, professional training and strategic innovation, demonstrating an unwavering dedication to advancing the study and appreciation of Indigenous American societies.”

To commemorate its centennial, M.A.R.I. is hosting a plethora of scholarly and public events, including the debut of a new exhibition showcasing the different ways ancient people of Mexico and Central America celebrated important milestones. In March, M.A.R.I. held the 19th Annual Tulane Maya Symposium and Workshop, bringing together experts in such fields as archaeology, art history, epigraphy and ethnohistory to discuss the fascinating components of the ancient Maya world.

One of the talks delved into the integration of lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) technology in the study of Mesoamerica. Tulane has been at the forefront of using lidar technology in the study of Mesoamerica, playing a key role in some of the most significant archaeological discoveries of recent years.

Among the most groundbreaking projects involving Tulane researchers was the 2018 large-scale lidar survey conducted by the PACUNAM LiDAR Initiative in Guatemala. The project, which involved Tulane archaeologists such as Canuto and Francisco Estrada-Belli, revealed over 60,000 previously unknown Maya structures, demonstrating that the Maya civilization was far more interconnected and densely populated than previously thought. Their results were published that year in the prestigious journal Science.

Last year, Auld-Thomas and Canuto uncovered vast unexplored Maya settlements in Mexico using lidar technology to peer through dense jungle forests. Their research, which was published in the journal Antiquity, revealed 50 square miles of land in Campeche, Mexico, an area largely overlooked by archaeologists. Their findings included evidence of more than 6,500 pre-Hispanic structures, including a previously unknown large city complete with iconic stone pyramids.

M.A.R.I’s research mission and library were the cornerstones of Tulane’s commitment to Latin America and the Caribbean region.  However, the investment of new financial resources by private foundations and the federal government beginning about 1940 brought about the expansion of M.A.R.I and Tulane’s research mission to develop new Latin American degree programs and curricula. Those grants triggered the development of a new Latin American Library in 1963 and the Center for Latin American Studies in 1961.

Brian Edwards, dean of the Tulane School of Liberal Arts, said M.A.R.I. is but one example of why Tulane is such a powerhouse for Latin American Studies, be it in the research realm or in how it trains students for the job market. “We’re one of the strongest research universities in the world studying the politics, culture and societies of the Americas,” Edwards said. “The richness of our research, our programming, our hosting of visiting scholars and our teaching at all levels, from undergraduate to PhD, is truly world class.”

The significant and continuous expansion of Latin American Studies from its pioneering beginnings in Mesoamerica and Maya studies were made possible by increased federal and foundation funding after 1961. The Stone Center, for example, was endowed in 1982 by Doris Zemurray Stone, a distinguished scholar and archeologist, in honor of her husband. Read about a major new gift naming the Doris Z. Stone Latin American Library and Research Center within the university's renowned Latin American Library. 

Today, the Stone Center coordinates the research and teaching activities of over 70 core faculty and 35 affiliated faculty and adjuncts across almost every school and division on campus, including the School of Science and Engineering, the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and the School of Architecture and Built Environment. Its academic mission is to ensure that students gain comprehensive knowledge of Latin America through a combination of academic study, specialized training and research abroad programs in Central America, South American and the Caribbean.

A native of Colombia, Sofia Jaramillo, a senior majoring in economics and environmental studies, was attracted to Tulane because of the Stone Center and Tulane’s stellar Latin American Studies program. She called Tulane “a home away from home” — an institution where she could access top-tier education while staying closely connected to Latin America.

“I chose to leave Colombia to study at Tulane because I wanted to pursue the best education possible in sustainability and economics while maintaining a strong connection to my home region,” said Jaramillo.

Four years later, her Tulane experience is all that she hoped for and more. She has connected with more than 100 Latin American students and forged invaluable relationships with professors from the region, particularly those in economics and environmental studies. She said her favorite class has been “Economic Development of Latin America,” taught by John H. Edwards, a professor of economics at Tulane since 1991.

She said the course provided an in-depth economic perspective on why Latin America has lagged behind Asia, Europe and North America in economic development. “It was a challenging yet highly rewarding experience, as we examined over 30 research articles with detailed regression analysis to draw meaningful conclusions. As someone born and raised in Colombia, it was incredibly fulfilling to engage with this research and contribute my own experiences to class discussions.”

Although Jaramillo is pursuing jobs in sustainability in the U.S., she plans to return to Colombia eventually. “Colombia is a country rich in biodiversity and natural resources,” she said, “but there is still significant work needed to ensure their preservation. My ultimate goal is to leave a lasting impact on sustainability efforts in Colombia.”

Carmen Alocer, a junior majoring in Latin American Studies, said her Tulane experience has far exceeded her expectations. Since stepping onto campus three years ago, the Tennessee native has studied abroad in Argentina, interned at M.A.R.I. and participated in an array of programs at the Stone Center and the Latin American Library.

Although she initially planned to double major in art history and studio art, she took so many electives in Latin American Studies that adding a third major seemed like a very realistic possibility. She did just that.

“At the end of my sophomore year, I sat down with my academic advisor and realized I had taken enough Latin American Studies classes out of interdisciplinary interest to have achieved a minor. I only needed a handful more to complete a major. I then found myself declaring for a third major, with a clear path ahead of me as to how I’d achieve this goal.”

Alcocer plans to graduate in May 2026, and while she hasn’t decided if she will go on to graduate school immediately or pursue gallery work in the private sector, she ultimately wants to teach at the college level.

"I feel so lucky to be able to trace connections between my passions and to have the Latin American Studies department support me in understanding these connections," she said. 

Auld-Thomas agreed on the impact of his Tulane experience, describing it as an "opportunity that simply wouldn't have been available to me anywhere else. My entire career trajectory up to this point has come down to my good fortune to be at the right place at the right time."

Illustration at the top of the page: Top row, left to right: Title page, Doctrina cristiana muy cumplida: donde se contiene la exposición de todo lo necesario para doctrinar a los indios, y administrarles los santos sacramentos by Fray Juan de la Anunciación, published in Mexico in 1575. One of the first printed books of the Americas, a manual for Catholic priests to instruct native Nahuatl speakers in the Christian doctrine. Economic Census of Tepoztlán, c. 1550–1600. Partial census for eleven towns in the southern Valley of Mexico recorded with Aztec pictography and Spanish annotations. Panel 6 of the Mapa de Cuauhtlantzinco. Watercolor copy by Louis Méhédin, c.1865-66. Bottom row, left to right: Rubbing of the Classic-period (200–900 CE) carving of Lintel 25 from the archaeological site of Yaxchilan, Chiapas, Mexico. Ink on rice paper, Merle Greene Robertson Collection, 1969. Radeau de la Riviere de Guayaquil (Guayaquil River Raft) by Alexander von Humboldt, from Vues des Cordillères et monuments des peuples indigènes de l’Amérique (Views of the Mountains and Monuments of the Indigenous Peoples of America), 1810/1813. Confesionario mayor en la lengua mexicana y castellana by Alonso de Molina, published in Mexico in 1565. One of the first printed books of the Americas, a manual for Catholic priests to conduct the sacrament of confession with native Nahuatl speakers. Images courtesy of The Latin American Library.