Visitors to the Royal BC Museum can discover a powerful culture that rose in the tropical rainforests of Guatemala thousands of years ago, and learn how science and belief shaped the Maya identity from ancient times to present day.
For the first time in North America, Maya: The Great Jaguar Rises opens May 17 at the Victoria museum.
“We know this theme of language resilience resonates strongly here in British Columbia,” says Prof. Jack Lohman, CEO of the RBCM. “The enduring success of the Royal BC Museum’s Our Living Languages exhibition, which celebrates the resilience of First Nations languages in our province, speaks to growing public interest in — and enthusiastic support for — the revitalization of Indigenous languages in the Americas.”
The exhibition boasts the world’s largest and most impressive display of Maya objects from Guatemala, and features more than 300 precious jade, ceramic, gold, stone and textile artifacts reflecting classic and contemporary Maya culture.
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This exhibition coincides with UNESCO’s Year of Indigenous Languages and will highlight the 30 Maya languages that are still spoken today by almost half the population of Guatemala.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/maya. Stay updated on exhibition news with the Royal BC Museum blog, or via social media: #RBCMMaya.
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