The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Cultural Center will host the exhibit entitled “Heavenly Jade of the Maya,” comprising rare jade jewelry and objects from recent archaeological discoveries, starting December 19, 2012.
The exhibit will commemorate the ending of the Maya calendar cycle (December 21, 2012) known as bak´tun, and the beginning of a new era. The Mesoamerican civilization studied the movement of the stars for centuries, and constructed a conceptual foundation to explain the relation of the individual and the cosmos.
The exhibit displays the creative wealth worn by powerful nobles to keep their rituals and beliefs alive, since the Maya considered jade more precious than gold.
The contents of the exhibition are from the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Guatemala City. Part of the exhibition project includes financing a technical cooperation to train three Guatemalans in jade conservation in a newly installed laboratory facility at the museum.
The event will be open to the public until February 15, 2013.
