 |
|---|
These page feature archaeology information and Images of pre-Columbian Maya art from the Museo Popol Vuh. The purpose of this section of the FLAAR Maya archaeology web sites is to draw attention to the museums of Guatemala to encourage more people to visit them.
To appreciate the genius of the Classic Maya artists and scribes, a visit to the Museo Popol Vuh is essential. Although 90% of the visitors to Guatemala visit Antigua or Chichicastenango, and perhaps 50% visit Tikal, too few reach the museums. The exhibits are well designed in a modern manner. The building is new and looks suitably impressive.The exhibits include a colorful display of animals in Maya art. In addition to pre-Columbian art, the museum has a really nice selection of Spanish colonial art.
Maya Art, Artifacts, and Antiquities in Guatemala
 |
|---|
The purpose of this section of the FLAAR archaeology web sites is to draw attention to the museums of Guatemala to encourage more people to visit them. The Museo Popol Vuh is the most modern of all the museums in Central America, in terms of physical facilities and in terms of interest in learning about advanced technology of display. Museum occupies several rooms here at the UFM.
The museum is operated by a Board of Directors of leading citizens of Guatemala who are especially interested in the preservation and public display of the collection which was entrusted by the original founders' donation . This magnanimous gift has been combined with donations of additional collections each year from other people in Guatemala. The capable staff operates the museum guided by the desire to provide an educational focus for people who wish to see and learn about the pre-Columbian past of Guatemala.
 |
|---|
Although the museum is best known for its funerary ceramics, the collection includes a variety of portable stone sculptures, especially from the Pre classic period and from the coast and adjacent highlands. The exhibit of Quiche funerary urns is the best of any museum in the world. The section on Maya pottery includes some of the great Maya vases and bowls, many of which are frequently pictured in coffee table art books.
The curator is archaeologist Dr Oswaldo Chinchilla, a respected scholar and epigrapher.
 |
|---|
For many years the museum was on Avenida Reforma in Zone 9, and unfortunately most guidebooks still picture it there. In actuality the Museo Popol Vuh is now permanently situated on the campus of the Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Zone 10. The museum is directly across the street from the Museo Ixchel de Textiles (Maya textile museum). No bus serves these museums so you need to walk downhill from Sexta Avenida or call a yellow cab, 332 1515 (especially for the ride back uphill). The museum is open Monday through Friday 9 to 5, and Saturday morning. The museum is closed on Sunday. Research facilities inside the museum include a library loaned by Nicholas Hellmuth+FLAAR together with the library of the museum itself.
 |
Lecture abstracts on full-color PowerPoint presentations on jaguars in Maya art, monkeys and other rain forest animals in Maya art; Corbel Vault Architecture of Maya temples and palaces, and dozens of other topics on iconography of deities, monsters of Xibalba, and other topics of Maya archaeology, art, and monumental architecture. |
