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The monumental architecture of the pyramids, the secrets of the hieroglyphic writingthe tradethe agriculture and the development of large citiesthe levels of society or the interest in mathematics and the astronomy are just some of the aspects covered by the new international exhibition at MARQ. The Maya have already settled into the Provincial Archaeological Museumwhere they will remain more than seven months to reveal to visitors the enigmas of one of the most mysterious and interesting millenary civilisations of mankind.
The President of the Provincial Government, César Sánchezand the Guatemalan Minister of Culture and Education, José Luis Chea UrruelaThe exhibition, made up of around 200 objects from the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology of Guatemala (MUNAE) and of the institutions Ruta Maya Foundation and the Neria Herrera Collection of the Museum Juan Antonio Valdés of the country. Also from the Museum of Ethnology Berlin and of the Rautenstrauch Joest Museum Cologne.
The pieces, many of which have never been exhibited in Spain, can be seen in Alicante. to on 7 January 2018. During this weekendMoreover,free of chargebecause the Diputación de Alicante has organised open days to commemorate the 15 years of the museum. This afternoon from 16:00 hours and during Friday, Saturday and Sunday citizens will be able to freely access the MARQ to see elements such as the sculpture of a man with jaguar attributesa JADE MASKor various trails, plates and censers.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Guatemalan ambassador to Spain, Fernando Molinathe curators of the exhibition Nikolai Konrad and Miguel Riverathe director of the Alicante museum, Manuel Olcinathe managing director, José Alberto CortésThe event was attended by heads of European and American centres and collaborating companies.
'Mayas. The enigma of the lost cities"is a international collaborative project which has been several years in the making and which represents a unique opportunity to contemplate pieces that will not be exhibited again for a long time. It is now coming to Alicante, where it will close its European tour, to occupy the three temporary rooms and the museum library in an exhibition montage that covers everything from the pyramidsto the deep junglethrough the Mayan temples.
César Sánchez has highlighted the public-private partnership to carry out this initiative, while stressing that this is a exceptional opportunity to contemplate these pieces. He also assured that "the Provincial Council continues its vocation to work for the province and cultural tourism is essential in our promotion, as attested by the two and a half million visitors who have visited the MARQ galleries over the last 15 years". He also expressed his conviction that it will be one of the best exhibitions in the history of the museum and one of the most visited.
For his part, the Guatemalan Minister of Culture emphasised that "it is a privilege that, after touring Europe, the exhibition concludes in Spain, a country with which we have historical, cultural and linguistic ties". José Luis Chea also stated that "a country without identity is not a country" and that Guatemala is the direct heir of this amazing millenary culture, "the essence of what we are, what we were and what we want to be".
During the tour of the montage, which, according to Olcina, occupies 900 m2The MARQ has created its own structure to exhibit the contents in a spectacular and contextualised way, recreating the creation of the Mayan worldthe splendour and collapse of this culture and the men and women of maize.
The Noble Room of the Library also contains a specific presentation on the Spanish archaeological missions at Guatemala which since the 1980s have been immersed in the discovery of new findings. The University of Valencia is the leader of this expedition, which is currently focusing its research work on the site of La Blanca.
Finally, the curator Nikolai Konrad has assured that this exhibition means one of the most complex visions of Mayan culturebecause it also shows scientific results, as well as the life of peasants and farmers, and not only of the elite.
Complementary activities
This international exhibition, which coincides with the celebration of the 85th anniversary of the museum and the 15th anniversary of MARQ, is accompanied by a large number of complementary activities as workshops, presentations, round tables and lecture series in order to disseminate and unveil some of the best kept mysteries of this civilisation.
Precisely tomorrow Friday 26 May at 10 a.m. a conference will be held at the centre, to be opened by the Minister of Culture, with the participation of various specialists in Mayan culture to address Guatemala's links with this civilisation. The proposal will conclude with a round table discussion, open to debate.
