Features more than 180 works made prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus and the Europeans during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Representing a time period of more than 3,000 years, the exhibition drawn from the OMA's Art of the Ancient Americas Collection, gives a rare glimpse into the life and culture of numerous civilizations from the North, Central and South American regions including the Aztec, Maya, Moche, Nasca, Inca and Zapotec, with significant ancient works of gold, silver, jade, ceramic, shell and wood.

Admission: $8.00

Penn Museum's unique collection of brilliantly painted Chama polychromes opens a window into the lives of the ordinary Maya of 1,300 years ago, and the way they dealt with the challenge of forced change. More than 150 objects convey vibrant evidence of ancient Maya life, as revealed by amazing archaeological discovery and scientific analysis.

3260 South Street
33rd and Spruce Streets in West Philadelphia.
Spruce Street becomes South Street just east of the Museum.
Since the South Street Bridge is closed for construction, the I-76 exits for South Street cannot be used.

In the late nineteenth century, Peabody Museum expedition teams set out to remote areas of Mexico and Central America, often with little inkling of what they might experience and barely prepared to navigate the cultural encounters essential to their missions. The Peabody Museum holds the written and visual records of these early expeditions and recently completed a two-year project to digitize over 10,000 nineteenth-century glass-plate negatives. The earliest images in this amazing and unique collection were photographed at Copán, during the museum's pioneering archaeological expeditions to the site. These images offer a wealth of archaeological information for current research along with a visual narrative of the budding town and the archaeologists ' interactions with the local community. As the excavations unfold before our eyes, scenes of the Copán community also emerge. But, who are the people in these images, and what effect did the excavations have on their community?

Focuses on St. Bonaventure University’s collection of ancient Maya pottery. A wide array of Maya images, symbols, and hieroglyphs that represent different aspects of beliefs about the universe are on display. This imagery serves as a point of departure for to discuss ancient and contemporary Maya culture. This exhibit features bilingual text.

This major exhibition explores Aztec civilisation through the divine, military and political role of the last elected ruler, Moctezuma II (reigned AD 1502–1520).

From his capital in Tenochtitlan (the site of modern Mexico City), Moctezuma’s empire comprised much of modern highland Mexico, stretching from the Gulf Coast to the Pacific Ocean. His power was reflected in the splendour of his capital’s architecture, his command of the prestigious Jaguar and Eagle military orders, and his sacrificial rituals to the gods. Moctezuma’s world was unrivalled, and this remained so until the devastating arrival of strangers – Cortés and his Spanish fleet.

The legacy of this tumultuous event and the semi-mythical status of Moctezuma will be reassessed through the display of imposing stone sculptures and rare gold and turquoise objects, many of which will be seen for the first time in the UK.

Rediscover the world of the Aztecs and trace the foundation of modern Mexico in the British Museum’s next major exhibition on great rulers.

This major exhibition explores Aztec civilisation through the divine, military and political role of the last elected ruler, Moctezuma II (reigned AD 1502–1520).

From his capital in Tenochtitlan (the site of modern Mexico City), Moctezuma’s empire comprised much of modern highland Mexico, stretching from the Gulf Coast to the Pacific Ocean. His power was reflected in the splendour of his capital’s architecture, his command of the prestigious Jaguar and Eagle military orders, and his sacrificial rituals to the gods. Moctezuma’s world was unrivalled, and this remained so until the devastating arrival of strangers – Cortés and his Spanish fleet.

Open daily 10.00–17.30 (last entry 16.20)
Open late on Thursdays and Fridays until 20.30 (last entry 19.20)

This exhibit draws on the William P. Palmer III Collection, a collection of 2,228 Precolumbian ceramics, lithics, and gold work dating from 2,000 B.C. to the time of the Spanish Conquest and is one of the finest collections of its type in the nation. The exhibit includes many Maya pieces, including a stela, glyph panel, cylindrical vases, figurines, shell, bone and antler carvings, and jade pieces. It explores cultures of México and Central America ranging from Olmec to Aztec.

The Hudson Museum also features the following Online Exhibits:

"Worldviews: Maya Ceramics from the Palmer Collection" - explores the wealth of information about religion and beliefs important to the Maya and captured by artisans. Some of the internationally known pieces in this exhibit were published in The Maya Vase Book, vol. 5, by Justin and Barbara Kerr, and Hidden Faces of the Maya, by Linda Schele.

"Images for Eternity: West Mexican Tomb Figures" - discusses the progress being made by modern scholars in understanding West Mexican tomb figures that have lost their original context.

The Library of Congress presents The Cultures and History of the Americas, an online exhibition featuring fifty highlights from the more than 4,000 rare books, maps, documents, paintings, prints, and artifacts that make up the Jay I. Kislak Collection.

This exhibition explores several themes, including the pre-Columbian cultures of Central America and the Caribbean as revealed in sculpture, architecture, and language; encounters between Europeans and the indigenous peoples; the growth of European Florida; and piracy and trade in the American Atlantic.

This exhibition is a preview of the permanent Kislak space to open in the Northeast Galleries of the Thomas Jefferson Building in 2006.

The museum’s holdings include a comprehensive collection of Pre-Columbian objects representing nearly every culture of Pre-columbian Latin America, with the best representations from West Mexico and the Maya region. The museum also possesses a cohesive collection of Guatemalan costumes and an extensive collection of Mexican masks.

Ongoing Exhibits include:

"Gods, Kings and Artisans of Ancient Mesoamerica"
"Ceramics of Ancient West Mexico"
"Painted Vessels of the Maya Elite"
"Power and Guidance - Early Classic Figurines of Mesoamerica"

Upcoming Online Exhibition:

"Ancient Mexican Art" - This upcoming online exhibition will feature pieces selected form the Barrick Museum’s collection to illustrate the cultural and historical continuity of Mexican art. The pieces all date to before the Spanish Conquest of the 1500’s. The materials, techniques, and designs used in ancient Mexico continue to enrich the folk art of today.

The collection of art of the ancient Americas is substantial, consisting of more than 1,900 pieces. The Museum is fortunate in the breadth and depth of the collection as a whole. All three principal cultural centers of the Americas are represented: Mesoamerica, Central America, and the Andes. Most of the important art-producing cultures – from the West México to the Maya and Aztec, from Honduras to Panama, from the Chavín to the Inca – can be appreciated during a visit to the permanent collection galleries.

Ancient America refers to regions in Mexico, Central America and South America at a time prior to the arrival of Europeans. The diverse artistic traditions of the prehistoric people can be traced as far back as 4,000 years. The museum collection includes many examples of pottery and stonework as well as elaborate, hand-woven textiles and costumes. Large burial urns, figurines and jewelry provide a unique insight into these advanced cultures.

The permanent exhibit includes representative objects from all the archaeological regions and time periods in Pre-Columbian Guatemala. The exhibition is organized in chronological sequence, from the earliest traces of human presence in the modern territory of Guatemala, until the Spanish conquest. Three major geographic regions may be distinguished in the study of the ancient peoples of Guatemala: The Pacific Coast, The Highlands, and The Lowlands.

Until the beginning of the nineteenth century in both the Old World and the New, chocolate remained an elite drink, too expensive for ordinary folk to enjoy, and often forbidden to them. But the invention by a Dutchman of a method to extract the fat in cacao paste led to the mutation of chocolate from drink into a solid confection that could be enjoyed by the masses. Chocolate now became "big business" and the cultivation of the cacao tree was spread all across the globe.

The present exhibit: "Kakaw: Chocolate in Guatemalan Culture" brings together many lovely objects that celebrate the mysteries and rituals that surrounded the chocolate drink among the early Maya, as well as the vessels that were made in colonial times so that a new, Creole elite could indulge their new-found taste for this prestigious beverage.

The NMSU Museum is now home to a unique and comprehensive collection of both prehistoric and historical pottery. This permanent exhibit includes almost 600 pottery vessels that reflect the vibrant artistry and beauty of Southwestern and Mesoamerican ceramics. There is also an extensive type collection of sherds from New Mexico and Chihuahua to be explored, as well as other educational materials. The NMSU Museum proudly invites you to view this important and historic cultural collection.

This exhibition features more than 150 works, including 25 pieces that have never been exhibited before, made prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus and the Europeans during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Representing a time period of more than 3,000 years, the exhibition drawn from the OMA’s Art of the Ancient Americas Collection gives a rare glimpse into the life and culture of numerous civilizations from the North, Central and South American regions including the Aztec, Maya, Moche, Nasca, Inca and Zapotec with significant ancient works of gold, silver, jade, ceramic, shell and wood.

Dig It! Explore Archaeology is a hands-on exhibit that will delight visitors of all ages. Featured is a life-size replica of an excavated trench wall where hands-on elements demonstrate the science of archaeology. A photo-mural illustrates various aspects of archaeological field work. In other hands-on elements, you'll explore how archaeologists study clues from ancient and historic sites. Learn how these clues are used in identifying artifacts, such as ancient pottery, and create your own designs using interactive magnetic drawing slates. Build your own miniature Hohokam village or take a break and enjoy the museum's orientation video in the newly rennovated theater. Both children and adults will find this gallery entertaining, engaging, and educational... in fact, they'll "DIG IT!"

The flora and fauna of the forest, the rhythm of burning and planting, and the cycles of birth and death shaped the myth, ritual, and pageantry that are celebrated in art and architecture of these ancient and contemporary peoples. This exhibit features exact copies of Classic Maya monuments–four towering stelae and two massive zoomorphs–from the ancient city of Quiriguá, Guatemala, covered with hieroglyphs that recount the stories of Maya rulers and gods. The exhibit backdrop is a colorful mural resplendent with the animals and birds of the jungle surrounding the Ceiba tree, the symbolic tree of life that links the heavens, earth, and underworld. Exhibit cases contain fine examples of Maya pottery and figurines, as well as information on how the giant monuments were carved more than 1200 years ago.

Pre-Columbian art from Mexico, Central and South America has been at the heart of the Bowers for many years. A series of galleries communicates the power and sophistication of the mysterious cultures that rose and fell in ancient America.

The Bowers Museum also offers the following Educational Activities for Schools (grades 3 & 4):

Pre-Columbian Art Tour
(History/Social Science content standards and Visual Arts Framework)
The series of five intimate galleries portray the rich art and culture of ancient Pre-Columbian civilizations. The exhibit details the emergence of Mesoamerican cities highlighting architecture, ritual art, the sacred ball game, funerary art, and hieroglyphic writing depicted in Mayan art. Various artifacts include the ceramics and stone carvings of the pre-Columbian Maya and Olmec peoples illustrating their sacred rituals.

Ancient Mesoamerican Art Classes
(Visual Arts Framework)
Clay Masks, Jaguar Masks, Tooled Foil Mythical Beasts, Clay Animals

In 2002, The Dayton Art Institute was fortunate enough to be able to showcase the stunning pre-Columbian collection of the late Harold W. Shaw, on loan from Mrs. Mary Louise Shaw. Thanks to Mrs. Shaw’s generosity, we are once again able to share these treasures with our members and visitors. The Shaw collection features gold, silver, jade, stone and ceramic works from ancient Meso-America and South America. Assembled during the 1960s and 1970s, this stunning collection is a testimony to the gifted eye of Harold Shaw.

Journey through history to get the complete story behind the tasty treat that we crave in Chocolate, an exciting new exhibition developed by The Field Museum.

You’ll begin in the rainforest with the unique cacao tree whose seeds started it all. Visit the ancient Maya civilization of Central America and discover what chocolate meant nearly 1,500 years ago. Then travel forward in time and northward to the Aztec civilization of 16th-century Mexico, where cacao seeds were so valuable they were used as money. Discover chocolate’s introduction into the upper classes of European society and its transformation into a mass-produced world commodity.

In addition: Opening in the Winter of 2007:
The Halls of the Ancient Americas - It tells the epic story of human life on the American continents, from the arrival of small groups of hunter- gatherers, whose way of life survived into the 20th century, to the great but fragile empires of the Aztecs and the Incas - empires that stretched thousands of miles, encompassed as many as 10 million people, and came to sudden, brutal ends. Click here for additional information.

The objects in this gallery are from "Mesoamerica," the area encompassing most of southern Mexico, all of Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and parts of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. In parts of this culture area farming villages grew into towns and cities, tribal chiefs were made kings and emperors, trade networks became more complex, stone monuments and pyramids were erected, a calendar and writing-system developed, and devotion to nature spirits developed into state ceremonies in honor of the gods and ancestors.

This site explores Aztec and Mayan law through images and brief overviews of topics such as warfare, tribute, Aztec courts, attorneys and judges, property law, family law, punishment, drunkenness, slavery and Maya Law. Includes a small collection of annotated links on Aztec, Mayan, and other Mesoamerican civilizations.

Hundreds of earthenware pots and other Precolumbian artifacts from ancient West Mexico are now part of the collections of Wake Forest University’s Museum of Anthropology.

The objects, most dating from 300 B.C. to 400 A.D., were donated to the museum in May. The collection of 1,040 pieces includes 162 complete ceramic vessels, ceramic figurines, greenstone beads and necklaces, obsidian spear and arrow points, knives, and grinding stones.

The artworks for this exhibition, loaned by the directors of the Austen-Stokes Ancient Americas Foundation, are highlights of the foundation’s collection and include more than 120 objects. Many of the objects have never been shown before and rank among the most beautiful and striking pieces created by these cultures. In the sculptures, vessels, and jewelry, the artists and craftsmen encoded a wide range of religious beliefs in representations of humans, animals, and supernatural beings. From gem-like objects of stone and gold to paintings and ceramic figures, the intricate compositions, remarkable naturalism, and sometimes powerful abstraction indicates how much remains to be learned about these ancient cultures.

All of the major civilizations of Mesoamerica are featured, including Olmec, Maya, and Teotihuacan, among others. The exhibition focuses on small ceramic sculpture from these cultures--enigmatic figures and animals that probably served a ritual function. These pieces are complemented by larger ceramic sculptures from West Mexico, intricate gold objects from Colombia, elegant ceramics from Ecuador, and works from the Caribbean and Alaska.

Among the collection are outstanding Jaina terra-cotta figurines from the Maya period, striking figures and house models from western México. Particularly important and rare is the clay model of a ball game, which is complemented by a yoke, hachas, and additional items related to this ancient sporting activity. South American cultures are represented by a small number of vessels, sculptures, and other objects, including textiles. The exhibit also includes a painted Maya vase and the largest carved Maya femur known, along with a notable selection of Olmec and Maya pieces.

Step into the windswept world of Ice-Age mammoth hunters. Walk through a replica of an 800-year-old pueblo dwelling and imagine your entire family cooking, eating, and sleeping in one small room. Explore the Aztec empire and its island capital, Tenochtitlan, a city of more than 200,000 people and an extraordinary feat of engineering for any era. Discover what Field Museum scientists and others have learned about the Americans who lived here before us, and how it’s changing nearly everything we thought we knew!

The Field Museum’s ground-breaking new exhibition, The Ancient Americas, takes you on a journey through 13,000 years of human ingenuity and achievement in the western hemisphere, where hundreds of diverse societies thrived long before the arrival of Europeans. In this 19,000-square-foot permanent exhibition you’ll live the epic story of the peopling of these continents, from the Arctic to the tip of South America. Discover how and why the early Americans developed farming, created new forms of artistic expression, and forged mighty empires. See more than 2,200 artifacts, amazing reconstructions, and dozens of videos and interactive displays, and come to understand the ingenuity with which ancient peoples met the challenges of their times and places – as we meet ours today.