Fire-Burning Celestial Lightning God

Summer                                                         First Harvest Moon

Tom Crane, Mark Odegard and I passed over $13.00 each for a senior citizen ticket to the show Maya! at the Science Museum.  This show offers a thoughtful approach to this complex and still often misunderstood culture, especially its classic and post-classic periods.  The show combines technology from a tabletop computer to a museum goer manipulable microscope to excellent effect.

With areas on astronomy, the underworld, making a living, the ball game, architecture, religion and daily life the exhibition offers up to date scholarship in a diverse number of areas.  Sprinkled throughout the exhibit are actual artifacts, plaster   replicas and photographs to supplement the label copy.

In fact my only criticism of the show is the display of the artifacts. They are often set back in a case with a lot of shadow making the artwork difficult to see.  Also, not all of the artifacts seem carefully selected.  But this is a trivial point.

New information to me was the impact of enemy civilizations on the decline of the Maya. I had known before about crop failure, drought and environmental degradation.  Although, come to think of it, I do recall an argument about rebellion by peoples selected for slavery and ritual sacrifice.

Maya culture is not dead; it lives on in Central America and the Yucatan.  There is today a revival of interest in Mayan culture among Mayans.  This is good to see and receives some treatment in the show.

I’d say 4 stars.