Until 7 January, in the Sala Noble of the Marq Library, you can visit a photographic and audiovisual exhibition of the important research carried out by archaeologists from the University of Valencia, directed by Cristina Vidal, on this enigmatic Mesoamerican civilisation. This work can be carried out in the complicated jungle thanks to the collaboration of the Palarq Foundation, a private, non-profit organisation created to support the Spanish Archaeological Missions, within a perspective that ranges from the palaeontological stage to the prehistoric and historical periods of monumental interest, with the sole aim of disseminating and extending knowledge of palaeontology and archaeology.
The project that recreates this stay takes us to the site of La Blanca-Bilonché, developed at present and since 2004 in the basin of the Mopán river, in Petén, Guatemala, with the triple intention of undertaking research on the Mayan sites belonging to the sub-basin of the Salsipuedes river; to conserve and enhance the cultural and natural heritage of these urban settlements in a jungle environment with monumental architecture in order to make them visitable, and to contribute to the economic and social development of the communities near the archaeological sites through a process of rescue and cultural management of heritage resources.
Using state-of-the-art technology, extensive excavations at La Blanca and Chilonché have brought to light palatial buildings of great architectural quality, such as the Palacio de Oriente at La Blanca, which has the widest vault ever documented in Petén, or the exceptional mural paintings of the Acropolis of Chilonché.
