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Committee Summary
It’s 750 CE. The Maya world is quickly changing, and it’s golden. Across the jungles of Mesoamerica, different city-states, like Tikal, Palenque, and Copán, are competing to be on top.
But what’s the harm in a little competition?
Towering temples rise among bustling plazas, and kings create vast monuments to immortalize their reigns. Every city-state wants to be the jewel of the Maya world. But prosperity comes at a cost. Forests are being cleared and trees are being burnt, all to support the creation of temples. Harvests are becoming less reliable, and water is becoming a scarce resource that city-states are battling over. Rumor has it that the nature deities have withdrawn their favor from the Mayan people. Could supernatural beings be upset with the Maya for failing to take care of the natural world? As drought threatens the region, delegates must determine how to respond before the golden age becomes a story of the past. In the Mayan Golden Age committee, delegates will step into roles of influential figures from across the Mayan world and confront challenges that will determine the civilization’s future. Will you preserve centuries of prosperity, unite Maya civilization into a single, unified empire, or will the dark ages consume what was once the jewel of Mesoamerica?
MEET THE CHAIR
AUDREY AALTONEN
Hello, Delegates!
My name is Audrey Aaltonen, and I am honored to serve as your chair for this committee. I am a fourth year majoring in Political Science with a minor in Digital Humanities, hoping to attend graduate school next year to study Library and Information Science. I also work at the UCLA Library and have balanced multiple research roles on projects for the UCLA Political Science Department, the National Parks Service, and the California Department of Transportation. Outside of academics, I love to hike, play guitar, and listen to Amy Winehouse. I also love to read—my favorite book that I have read this year is Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, and I am currently rereading Batman: the Knight (which I highly recommend if you are also a Batman enjoyer).
This will be my eighth year doing Model United Nations! I have previously been a delegate, dais staffer, crisis staffer, crisis director, chair, and an Under-Secretary General for BruinMUN. Since joining Model UN, I’ve had the opportunity to meet lots of funny and amazing people as well as develop invaluable public speaking and research skills. I also love crisis committees! I was introduced to them during my sophomore year of high school and I instantly fell in love with their fast pace and the outside-the-box thinking they require. I hope that, after this committee, all of you will become crisis converts as well!
This committee begins during the peak of the Mayan civilization, a time of great innovation and achievement as well as competition between the city-states for power, territory, and influence. As Mayan kings, nobles, military leaders, and spiritual leaders you will need to navigate between these rivalries and collaborate to solve political and environmental crises as they arise. I’m looking forward to seeing your diplomacy, creativity, and thoughtful solutions in the front room.
I’m also super excited for you guys to learn more about crisis—since this is a novice committee, this should be everyone’s first time doing crisis and I hope that this will be a helpful and fun learning experience! If you have any questions ahead of time, please do not hesitate to reach out. See you in November!
Best,
Audrey Aaltonen | Chair, The Mayan Golden Age | BruinMUN 34
MEET THE CRISIS DIRECTOR
VERENA RIZK
Dear Delegates,
My name is Verena Rizk and I am so excited to be your Crisis Director for Novice: The Mayan Golden Age at BruinMUN 34! I am a third year Political Science major with a minor in Musicology from Laguna Hills, California. My diet consists mostly of sushi, Nutella, and cucumbers, so please ask me about the best sushi spots in Orange County (and give me recommendations). Outside of MUN, I spend most of my time reading, thrifting, painting, and binge watching How I Met Your Mother. Another fun fact about me is that I broke my wrist in half in middle school and still don’t know what caused it.
I have been involved in MUN since high school and immediately fell in love with the creativity and unpredictability of crisis committees. I decided to continue being a crisis delegate and staffer at UCLA. Some of my favorite MUN memories include going to Disneyland with my LAMUN XXI committee, as well as traveling with UCLA’s travel team to Quebec and bringing an entire pack of Montreal bagels back home with me. My favorite part of BruinMUN has definitely been the friendships I have made with some of the coolest (and weirdest) people I’ve ever met.
I specifically wanted to direct this committee because the Mayan civilization was one of the most advanced societies in the ancient world. The Mayans independently invented the concept of zero and developed incredible architecture within city-states. As a space enthusiast who wants to work as an aerospace lawyer, Mayan astronomy is especially fascinating to me. This committee will take place during the Mayan Golden Age around 600 CE, where you will navigate conflicts between city-states and other issues throughout the weekend. I am especially excited to see the backroom arcs you all create and how those actions shape what happens in committee. Since you are all novice delegates, I hope this committee helps you become more comfortable with MUN and shows you how fun crisis committees can be!
Please feel free to reach out with any questions, and I look forward to meeting you all!
See you in November,
Verena Rizk | Crisis Director, The Mayan Golden Age | BruinMUN 34