From dawn to dusk, National collections of Guatemala

The exhibition

Through the presentation of more than 160 exceptional objects belonging to the National Heritage of Guatemala – painted ceramics, steles, cut semiprecious stones, funerary objects, architectural remains, ornaments, etc. – the exhibition retraces the development of Maya civilization, its rise and decline after the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in 1524 C.E., with a chronological visit distinguishing the pre-classical, classical, and post-classical periods.

In order to present the public with a wider and more complex conception of Maya culture, the chosen objects come from three large regions of Guatemala: the highlands, the lowlands, and the Pacific coast. 

The exhibition also presents the discoveries made at multiple sites recently studied, such as El Mirador, at the head of a group of fi ve sites selected in 2002 by the Guatemalan government for nomination on the UNESCO World Heritage Site List. This latest research allows for the presentation to the visitor of a greater and more complex conception of Maya culture. The exhibition ends with a more contemporary section integrating multimedia and photographs, permitting the transmission of a broad view of ancient and contemporary Maya culture, and creating a link between past and present. 

From tuesday 6th june to sunday 2th october 2011

• East Mezzanine
• ticket collections 8, 5 € full price and 6 € reduced cost

Curator

• Juan-Carlos Melendez, director of the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Guatemala City

Scientific advisor

• Richard Hansen, archaeologist