05/17/2019
Maya: The Great Jaguar Rises opens to the public May 17-December 31st 2019 at the Royal BC Museum. This spectacular exhibit features more than 300 precious jade, ceramic, gold, stone and textile artifacts reflecting classic and contemporary Maya culture. Many of these pieces have never been seen outside of Guatemala, offering a rare glimpse into the Maya civilization from past to present
I had a chance to be part of the social media preview and was in awe of this immersive exhibition. Dr. Nikolai Grube, chair of the Anthropology of the Americas department at the University of Bonn offered a wealth of knowledge on all things Maya, deciphering the many hieroglyphs found around the exhibit and offering information on the many practices and languages that have deep roots stemming from this ancient culture.
This exhibition coincides with UNESCO’s Year of Indigenous Languages and highlights the 30 Maya languages that are still spoken today by almost half the population of Guatemala.
