Exhibit dedicated to Maya civilization opens in Verona

Exhibit dedicated to Maya civilization opens in Verona

PanARMENIAN.Net - The halls of the Palazzo della Gran Guardia are opening to the mystery and allure of one of the most interesting pre-Columbian civilizations of the Americas: over 250 works from Mexico's leading museums make up the exhibition Maya. Il linguaggio della bellezza, from 8 October 2016 until 5 March 2017, Art Daily reports.

Maya. Il linguaggio della bellezza is an exhibition of the Government of Mexico, the Mexican Ministry of Culture and the INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and History), the most important institution of Mexico's Ministry of Culture, and is curated by Karina Romero Blanco.

Eighteen years have passed since the 1998 Maya exhibition in Venice, and Italy once again is able to experience the story of a civilization that never ceases to fascinate us with its understanding of mathematics, its extremely precise calendar systems and its artistic achievements, Art Daily said.

The exhibition - the result of special focus on the specifically artistic themes of the civilization - features sculptures, monumental stone slabs, architectural elements, terracotta figures, jade masks, musical instruments and incense burners to give visitors the chance to explore the artistic aspects one of the most fascinating civilizations in history, through the universally recognized theme of beauty.

The exhibition in Verona marks the first time that the culture of this ancient people is being addressed using the words and texts of the Maya themselves; never before has it been possible to make use of the greatest anthropological breakthrough of the last century: the deciphering of the Maya writing system.

At the same time, the exhibition offers a new, innovative and surprisingly current look at Mayan art, beginning by identifying the masters, the schools and the styles. We are finally able to consider the artworks through an artistic and historical interpretation, not merely an archaeological one.

The three great periods during which the Maya civilization flourished - the Preclassic, Classic and Postclassic - from 2000 BCE to 1542 CE, are explained through extraordinary masterpieces of Maya art, such as the Flag Bearer, a priceless eleventh-century sculpture created by a master at Chichen Itza (archaeological complex in the north of the Yucatan Peninsula, included among the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007) which is undoubtedly the best example of a type of sculpture typical of many cities of the Postclassic period; Portrait Head of Pakal the Great who lived from 603 to 683 CE and was the most important king of Palenque (today one of the most important Mayan archaeological sites in the Mexican state of Chiapas); the Jade mosaic Mask depicting a deified king, a typical example of a death mask, essential for the deceased to reach the underworld; and finally the Young Man from Cumpich, an imposing sculpture dating from the late Classic period, found at the archaeological site of Cumpich, Art Daily said.

The Mayan civilization is also illustrated through the reconstruction of ancient architecture and everyday objects that have survived millennia, including necklaces, earrings, musical instruments, vases and incense burners, all from Mexico's most important museums, such as the Museo Nacional de Antropología (Mexico City) which, with two million annual visitors, ranks first in the world among museums of anthropology; the Museo Regional de Antropología Palacio Cantón (Mérida, Yucatán); the Museo Arqueológico del Camino Real de Hecelchakán (Hecelchakán, Campeche); and the many archaeological sites of the most important Mayan cities including Calakmul, Chichen Itza, Palenque and Uxmal.

The exhibition in Verona reveals the results of the latest scientific research on the Maya and enables readers to read their texts directly, and to explore exciting topics such as the prophecies, the end of the thirteenth baktun (21 December 2012) and the secrets of the Long Count, a cycle of 5125.3661 years that began its "rotation" on the day of creation, which for the Maya was 6 September 3114 BCE.

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