Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed

Since the discovery of ruined cities in the jungles of Central America in 1839, the Classic Maya civilization (250-900 AD) has been the subject of intense popular and scientific interest. Today, many lines of evidence and inquiry allow us to reconstruct and understand the ancient Maya world. Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed examines the lost civilization of the Maya through the lenses of archaeology, epigraphy, ethnology, and art history. This interdisciplinary approach, coupled with the display of more than 230 objects and replicas and theatrical and interactive experiences, will appeal to Maya enthusiasts of all ages.

Features

7,500-10,000 square feet
In excess of 230 authentic Maya archaeological artifacts
Half-dozen life-sized sculptural casts and environmental reproductions
Fully-integrated hands-on interactive stations
100% bilingual—English and Spanish
An exhibitor friendly, turnkey operation

Costs

Contact Bill Maloney at bmaloney@smm.org or (651) 221-4737 for more information.

Lease Terms

3-month lease. Only 2 openings remain!
Inbound shipping
Vendor provided installation/de-installation staff to direct your assembly crew
Vendor provided courier/registrars to lead your object handlers
3-week installation / 2 week de-installation

Traveling Exhibition Venue Schedule

Location	Open Date	Close Date	Status
Saint Paul, MN	June 2013	January 2014	Completed
Denver, CO	February 2014	August 2014	Completed
Boston, MA	October 2014	May 2015	Completed
San Diego, CA	June 2015	January 2016	Completed
San Antonio, TX	February 2016	September 2016	Completed
Refurbishment	October 2016	January 2017	Refurbished
Dallas, TX	February 2017	September 2017	Completed
Edinburg, TX	October 2017	January 2018	In progress
Milwaukee, WI	February 2018	May 2018	Booked
Available	July 2018	September 2018	Available
Salt Lake City, UT	November 2018	May 2019	Booked

Tour will be available starting in January 2020 as a 5,000-7,000sq/ft exhibition.

Explore Maya

Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed

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Stelae

To assert their direct link to the gods, rulers commissioned carved stelae. Glyphs and images described a ruler's royal pedigree or his or her role in historical or mythological events.

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Epigraphy timeline

Spin the blocks to learn how scholars cracked the Maya code. An ingenious series of breakthroughs has allowed epigraphers to decipher Maya hieroglyphs and gain new understanding of ancient Maya history.

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West facade, El Castillo pyramid (replica)

Maya builders reflected their worldview in their colorful and imposing cities.

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Build an arch

Maya builders used corbeled arches to create doorways and interior spaces, which limited the size of their rooms.

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Try a tumpline

Put the block in the figure's arms and find the balance point. Then put the block on the tumpline and find the balance point. How would you prefer to carry a heavy load?

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Lift the ballgame ball

How heavy is the ball? Ballplayers used a heavy, bouncy ball—a quality unknown in Europe at the time—made from natural latex mixed with juice from morning glory vines.

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Section: Making a living

In a typical Maya household, an extended family worked together to grow food, raise children, honor their ancestors, and make household items. Many households also produced woven cloth, tools, jewelry, pottery, or other goods for trade.

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Section: Death and rebirth

Hidden beneath the land of the living lay the watery underworld: Xibalba. Decay and human suffering lurked in Xibalba’s shadows, but it was also a place of creation and fertility. New life sprouted in the dark and damp.

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Try using a bow drill

Be a Maya dentist. Use the pictures to assemble your tool and get drilling. Maya dental modification, though done with tools that seem crude by our standards, yielded results that have lasted thousands of years.

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Exploring the Bonampak Mural Room Model

The murals of a temple at Bonampak, a Maya site in Chiapas, Mexico, provide an unparalleled view of elite life and warfare in ancient Maya society.

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Assembling Pottery

Visitors to will piece together a Maya pot, just as an archaeologist would in a lab with sherds found in the field. They’ll see how painstaking this kind of work can be and discover what we can learn about the people who made and used them.

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Maya Calendar

Visitors to Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed will learn about how the Maya kept track of time and used it to predict and prepare for celestial events. Computer interactives will allow them to learn how all of the different Maya calendar systems fit together.

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Make A Pattern

The patterns express the weaver’s vision of the world and her place in it. Visitors to Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed will explore the history of this ancient art form and create their own patterns out of colored blocks.

More Information

Overview

Floor Plan

Educator Guide

Rent this exhibit

Contact Amber Stevenson at astevenson@smm.org or (651) 221-4737 for more information.