YAC Leader Training – the Ancient Maya

April 2026

In March 2026, a cohort of YAC volunteers headed to London, hosted by the fantastic Fulham Palace YAC branch. Our leaders joined Archaeodiscovery to explore the archaeology of the Ancient Maya, spanning from around 2000 BCE to the 16th century CE. In this blog we share what we got up to on this exciting training day and launch the fantastic new resource pack on the topic of the Ancient Maya!

The morning was spent immersing ourselves in this fascinating period of history. We explored material culture from across Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, discussed key historic events, and examined themes of colonial archaeology and decolonisation. The session was expertly led by Flick and Gemma from Archaeodiscovery, also Brighton YAC leaders, who brought along handling collections, maps, and a brand-new bumper pack of activities and information for YAC branches to use.

Leaders sat around a large wooden table with Flick and Gemma at the front discussing the topc

Over lunch (which was super tasty!), Fulham Palace YAC leader Alexis took us on a whirlwind tour of Fulham Palace, exploring both the historic building and its grounds. With great weather on our side, we also enjoyed an introduction to the palace’s local wildlife—well worth a (free) visit if you’re in the area.

Photo of internal courtyard with brick and stone building. Fountain in the centre

In the afternoon, our leaders reviewed the new resource pack and tried out several activities, including making worry dolls (muñeca quitapena), clay bird whistles, Maya-style hot chocolate, and creating a tropical forest soundscape.

You can access the resource pack here!

The pack includes background information, an interview with an archaeologist specialising in Maya archaeology, further reading, and a range of hands-on activities:

  • Worry dolls
  • Maya mathematics
  • Colouring
  • Maya myth buster
  • Whistle like the ancients
  • Maya soundscapes
  • Maya hot chocolate
  • Maya astrology

A huge thank you to Archaeodiscovery, Fulham Palace YAC, and our YAC volunteers for making it such a fantastic day.

Forthcoming YAC Leader Training

  • Transcapes: queering British prehistory for transgender wellbeing (Sheffield, 13th June)
  • Museum Curation (Newcastle, 17th October)
  • Archaeological Illustration (TBC)
  • Online training on a topic TBC (Autumn 2026)

If you have an idea for future training topics, would like to host a session or have any questions please do get in touch: yac@yac-uk.org

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