Traveling Exhibit: The Mystery of the Mayan Medallion

January 27–May 6, 2012

An archaeological team has mysteriously disappeared while investigating rumors of a priceless jade medallion buried in the ruins of Palenque, deep in the rainforest of Mexico. Can you help solve the Mystery of the Mayan Medallion? Follow the clues the team left behind to locate the treasure. But visitors must be careful to heed the warning signs they encounter to avoid the same fate as the missing archaeologists.

The newest exhibit to arrive at LICM allows families and school groups to learn more about the sophisticated Maya civilization recognized for their advanced writing and mathematical systems and knowledge of astronomy. In this immersive exhibit, visitors will need to:

translate glyphs
discover which rainforest animals are poisonous
learn how the Mayas’ recorded dates
take rubbings from a sarcophagus
and interpret a “battle” mural.

Exhibit components include archeology, biology and astromathematic field stations, an observatory and a tomb area that yield clues to the medallion’s whereabouts.

During the Spring Break recess week, the Museum will present Fiesta Maya: A Celebration of Culture and Cuisine. During the April 12 program (noon–4 p.m.) visitors will make crafts, watch…and taste how popular menu items are made and explore the stories of this rich civilization.

LICM has planned several workshops to add to visitors’ knowledge of the Maya civilization, including:

The Culture of Chocolate
Saturday, January 28 and February 28 at 3 p.m.

The word chocolate is derived from the Mayan word for a popular drink, xocoatl. Discover more facts about the Maya culture and taste variations of ancient recipes.
Ancient Artifacts
Saturday, March 3 at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, April 10
at 1 p.m.

Learn about the archaeological process as you go on a simulated dig, collect data, and piece together a Mayan “artifact.”
Night Jaguar
Sunday, March 11 and Sunday, April 29 at 3 p.m.

Listen to the folktales and myths of the Mayas and make a craft that represents these stories.

The Mystery of the Mayan Medallion has been developed by The Arkansas Discovery Network,
through a grant funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.