Having been to Cozumel and specifically Chichen Itza this summer, I was immediately excited to see that the Kimbell Art Museum had curated this exhibit on Maya artifacts. The Kimbell also incorporated the exhibit with their home school program allowing the kids to see a film presentation and short lecture.
.A docent led us through the four galleries looking at the accompanying wall essays, cue cards, and answering questions. Moving through the neatly arranged collection of artifacts, the Maya's human sacrifices were never mentioned, and when questioned the docent downplayed any knowledge of such atrocities. There were small animal figurines with human heads sticking out; exquisitely painted pottery with ornate scenes depicting moments in very unknown stories; plates decorated with royal scenes, dense with indecipherable symbols; stone reliefs covered in boxy hieroglyphics; tiny precious gems and jewelry; and what looked like trifling play things – tiny sculpted frogs, human figurines – that were executed with the utmost care and craftsmanship.
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In the hands on portion of class we created royal collars with glyphs. Abigail created a collar for birthday celebrations, and Frankie created a collar depicting Christmas images. My collar depicted hearts and the glyphs for '20' and 'years'. I also drew my rendition of the Maya temple at Chichen Itza and a small cruise ship. My final glyph was the easily recognized glyph for 'Jon & Lisa.' :)
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