MAYA Hidden Worlds Revealed at Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Top 10 Things to See and Do

1. Decipher glyphs and create your Maya name.

2. Learn about the Maya calendar and print your astrological sign.

3. Explore an ancient city and build a traditional arch.

4. Discover the living legend of the Maya ballgame.

5. Peek into a cave where the Maya confronted the gods of the underworld.

6. Conduct a virtual excavation and interpret your finds.

7. Admire colorful murals and imagine life as Maya royalty.

8. See how you look in ancient fashions.

9. Immerse yourself in the everyday life of the Maya, then and now.

10. Peruse the work of artisans and find a keepsake in the gift shop.

Exhibition Features

To the ancient and living Maya, the ceiba tree is sacred. Its trunk is of this world, its roots plunge into the depths of the underworld and its lofty branches reach into the heavens. Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed explores these worlds of life, death, and rebirth.
Introduction Theater
Begin your journey through the Maya worlds. Hear the story of the Maize God and see how the Maya theme of death and rebirth parallels the abandonment and rediscovery of ancient Maya cities, writings, and ways of life.
Unlocking the Maya Past
Uncover the secrets of life long ago in Maya lands. View ancient cities and learn how new developments help archaeologists study sites and texts that were previously inaccessible.

Watching the Skies
Take a seat in an immersive theater and hear how and why the Maya charted and predicted astronomical phenomena. Find important dates on the Maya calendar and print your birthday glyph.
Master Builders
Examine models of ancient cities and learn how the Maya organized them according to practical needs, environmental constraints, and religious beliefs. Build a Maya arch and test other construction techniques. Admire a replica of a frieze that surrounded an ancient pyramid.
A Sacred Game
Discover the living legend of the Maya ball game, one of the first team sports. Learn how the game has been played throughout history and lift the heavy rubber ball.
Death and Rebirth
Peek into a sacred cave that served as a portal to the underworld. Examine objects that helped priests and kings speak with the gods of the underworld. Decipher stone carvings that tell of sacrifice and renewal.
Dead Tell Tales
Conduct a virtual excavation and interpret burial objects to learn about Maya society and politics. See a replica tomb and the spectacular objects that accompanied elites on their journey through the underworld. Examine photographs of human skeletons and find out what histories are written in their bones.

Histories in Stone
Stand among stone tributes to powerful dynasties and decipher their glyphs. Try your hand at Maya mathematics. Create and print your Maya name.

 
A Story in Pictures
Stand among colorful murals that provide an unparalleled view of elite life and warfare in ancient Maya society. Match real artifacts with their counterparts in the murals. Take a photograph of yourself to see how you’d look wearing the clothes and jewelry of Maya nobility.
Making a Living
Immerse yourself in the everyday life of the Maya, then and now. See a model of an ancient neighborhood and a re-creation of an ancient house. Create a weaving pattern, and learn how the tradition has evolved throughout the centuries.


Denver Museum of Nature & Science
2001 Colorado Blvd
Denver, CO 80205
303.370.6000
Open Every Day
9 a.m to 5 p.m.
Except Christmas Day