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Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed


NOTICE

Due to safety concerns around COVID-19, the Science Museum of Minnesota is temporarily closed to the public.

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

LocationOpen DateClose DateStatus
Saint Paul, MNJune 2013January 2014Completed
Denver, COFebruary 2014August 2014Completed
Boston, MAOctober 2014May 2015Completed
San Diego, CAJune 2015January 2016Completed
San Antonio, TXFebruary 2016September 2016Completed
RefurbishmentOctober 2016January 2017Refurbished
Dallas, TXFebruary 2017September 2017Completed
Edinburg, TXOctober 2017January 2018In progress
Milwaukee, WIFebruary 2018May 2018Booked
AvailableJuly 2018September 2018Available
Salt Lake City, UTNovember 2018May 2019Booked

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

Explore Maya

Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed

maya-gallery-stelae.jpg

Stelae
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.

maya-gallery-epigraphy.jpg

Epigraphy timeline
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.

maya-gallery-castillo.jpg

West facade, El Castillo pyramid (replica)
West facade, El Castillo pyramid (replica)
Maya builders reflected their worldview in their colorful and imposing cities.

maya-gallery-arch.jpg

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

maya-gallery-tumpline.jpg

Try a tumpline
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?

maya-gallery-ball.jpg

Lift the ballgame ball
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.

maya-gallery-living.jpg

Section: Making a living
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.

maya-gallery-death.jpg

Section: Death and rebirth
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.

maya-gallery-bow.jpg

Try using a bow drill
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.

maya-gallery-mural.jpg

Exploring the Bonampak Mural Room Model
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.

maya-gallery-pottery.jpg

Assembling Pottery
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.

maya-gallery-calendar.jpg

Maya Calendar
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.

maya-gallery-weave.jpg

Weave
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.

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