Paris, 28 June 2011
The Musée du Quai Branly in Paris is hosting “Mayas, from Dusk to Dawn” until 2 October 2011. Visitors can discover the Mayas of Guatemala – a civilization that shaped Pre-Colombian history – in an exhibition featuring 160 pieces, the majority of which have never left their country of origin.
Promoting the protection of the Guatemalan heritage, the show highlights the most significant archaeological discoveries unearthed during recent excavations. The wide-ranging exhibition explores the development, social organization, architectural forms and artistic styles (painted ceramics, stelae, delicately sculpted stones, funerary elements, architectural relics and ornaments) of this great civilization.
“Mayas, from Dusk to Dawn” also provides insight into the modern-day Maya civilization with photographs and a multimedia presentation. The Mayas first appeared at the end of the third millennium BCE and rose to prominence twice: for approximately three hundred years from the third century BCE; and subsequently between the sixth and ninth centuries CE. It is thought that there was an important demographic decline in 150 CE and a second in about 900 CE. The Mayas left behind the ruins of numerous ancient cities, filled with palaces and pyramid-temples. When the Spaniards arrived in the early sixteenth century, the Mayas had settled mainly along the coasts of Yucatan and in the highlands of Guatemala. Centuries before European invasion, the civilization had developed a writing system that was unique to this area of the world. The Mayas are known as one of the five founding civilizations of the world.
Visitors can discover the world of the Mayas chronologically, divided into four sections: the first three correspond to the principal periods defined by Maya experts – pre-classic, classic and post-classic. As their culture developed, the Mayas spread to new areas: from the Pacific coast and the Highlands (pre-classic period) to the southern plains (classic periods) and subsequently to the northern plains (post-classic period). However, recent discoveries have shown that the lowlands were also inhabited during the pre-classic period and that the largest concentration of Maya architecture can be found in this area, especially in the Mirador Basin and at sites such as Cival and San Bartolo. The last section elaborates on contemporary Maya culture.