Exhibit Details
Size:
2,000 - 3,000 square feet

Length of Rental:
3 months (90 days)
Available for first rental
mid-June, 2009!

Target Age:
4th - 8th grades

Included with Rental:
Marketing Materials
Education Manual
Maintenance Support

Contact:
Linda Meyers
Arkansas Discovery Network
500 President Clinton Ave.,
Suite 150
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-396-7050 x118
Fax: 501-396-7054
E-mail: SAst@amod.org

Mayan Medallion Exhibit Components

The Mystery of the Mayan Medallion is a stylized version of an ancient Mayan ruin located in a rainforest in Palenque, Mexico. The lush green and vividly colored scenic elements, as well as ambient and focused jungle sounds (e.g., tropical birds, howler monkey), create the look and feel of the rainforest.

Six areas anchor the Mystery of the Mayan Medallion exhibit. Three walk-in architectural elements — the Tomb, the Observatory, and the Temple — all appear partially excavated. Three field stations are housed in tents — the Archaeology Field Station, the Astromathematics Field Station, and the Biology Field Station. Each area contains several of activities, and they are designed to be configured in various ways to fit different venues.

Visitors enter the exhibit over a rickety bridge and learn about the hastily departed team from the 30-second Briefing Video, which is running continuously on a computer near the entrance. The Where Are We and the Investigation Board help more with orientation.

Following are descriptions of portions of the exhibit in detail.

Briefing Video and Where Are We
A hastily made 30-second amateur video running on a computer sets the stage for your visitors' experience in the Mystery of the Mayan Medallion.A map and timeline orient visitors to place and time in the real world. A large geological map of Mexico hangs on the rear of the stele behind the Briefing Video. Visitors can locate Palenque on the map and on a small inset of North and Central America. They can explore a timeline that places the ancient Maya in relation to events more familiar to visitors (e.g. Columbus’s arrival, the Mayflower’s voyage, North American Indian life) and read basic information to introduce them to ancient Mayan civilization.

The Tomb Area
The Tomb is the major architectural element of the exhibit. All components of the Tomb, as throughout the exhibit, are designed for 9’ ceilings. The Tomb is enclosed on three sides, with an inner chamber and an outer, more dimly lit hallway (moveable so it can be wide enough to meet ADA standards). Three free-standing walls form the exterior of the hallway, and two wall structures delineate the central, interior chamber of the Tomb. The area has an open ceiling with a trellis of artificial plants to reduce ambient light.The exterior of the Tomb is scenically finished to resemble adobe stone and encroaching forest and earth. The interior scenic finishing resembles the dirt and rock of a recent excavation.

Activities are located both inside and on the exterior surface of the Tomb. Housed in the inner chamber are Examine the Bones and Treasure Revealed; in the hallway is the Battle Mural.

Examine the Bones/Sarcophagus Rubbing
A full-scale disarticulated skeleton lies in an open sarcophagus. The sarcophagus is partially moved off its base, giving a higher ADA accessible area and a lower small-child accessible area. Pieces of the broken sarcophagus lid lie near the burial site, a piece of the lid still sits on the sarcophagus. Interpretive graphics include handwritten notes in an archaeologist’s notebook, mounted on the edge of the sarcophagus, and archaeologist’s notes mounted closer to the bones. The skeleton is completely exposed but secured in the sarcophagus and easily accessible for measurement; its skull is cracked. Visitors examine bones to determine cause of death and measure the pelvic opening to determine the gender of the skeleton.

Battle Mural
A fading mural of a battle scene is located along the dimly lit passageway at the rear of the tomb. The scene includes images and glyphs. Visitors interpret the mural’s battle scene. They follow the archaeologist’s instructions to make rubbings of the “star wars” and other glyphs to decode at the archaeologist’s station.

Burial Artifact Discovery
Visitors will discover two artifacts, a ceramic ballplayer figurine and a conch trumpet, are embedded in the wall. Visitors can find out more about these artifacts in the Archaeology Station. Visitors will also see broken pottery vessels in a mound against the tomb wall.

Spider Bite
A small opening is located on an outside wall of the Tomb. When a visitor inserts her hand, it triggers a "spider bite" (a single burst of air from an air jet). At the same time, a back-lit image of a freya spider appears above the spider hole. The image is visible only when the effect is triggered., and it stays visible for approximately thirty seconds. The air jet can’t be re-triggered during this time. Visitors can go to the Biology Station to find out if the spider is poisonous. see video

Treasure Revealed
Treasure Revealed is located on the right wall. Fifteen glyph tiles surround the vault opening. The opening is large enough for just one or two people to see in. Large embedded teeth-like stones surround the opening, making it resemble the jaws of a large animal. Touching a preset sequence of the four code glyphs triggers the light effect that reveals the interior of the vault. The effect is visible only to the people standing directly in front of the opening. When the light is on, visitors can see the precious jade medallion – and an outstretched skeletal hand wearing a leather watch. Visitors may recognize the skeleton as belonging to the previous team’s archaeologist because they have seen pictures of him wearing the watch in the Archaeology Station. The objects in the vault are invisible when the light is not on. see video

The Temple
The Temple is a free-standing wall with a rear underpass. It can be used in conjunction with the Observatory or stand alone, depending on the needs of a particular venue. The Temple is scenically finished. A faux staircase rises to a decorative platform (the roof of the underpass). The remains of two columns stand on the platform.

Make a Mayan Story
This activity is located on the outside Temple wall next to the faux staircase. There are three illustrations on the wall, with a number of squares available where glyphs can be inserted. Slots below the illustrations the loose 3” x 3” glyph blocks. A glyph and its meaning is painted on each block. An archaeologist’s note on the crate provides activity instructions.

Meet the Mayan Gods
This activity, where visitors view symbols and read stories of key Mayan gods, is located in a low underpass, behind the Temple wall. Four separate vertical panels, approximately are attached as if leaning against the wall. Each panel holds a relief of a Mayan god. A rough wood easel supports the interpretive graphics, which take the form of pages from the archaeologist’s notebook mounted on a board.

Observatory/In the Stars
Visitors enter the remains of ancient Mayan observatory (a walk-in cylindrical structure with a deteriorating domed roof) and find a lookout to the stars, where they view the night sky in Mayan times, identify constellations and planets, and learn their special meanings to the ancient Maya. Fiber optics create a night sky on the domed ceiling. Sound is focused to minimize spillage.

Archaeology Field Station
Each of the Field Stations are enclosed in an overhead canopy supported by four adjustable steel poles. Where appropriate, activities sit on wooden crates. The Archaeology Field Station has a chart of Mayan glyphs and icons. It houses Piecing It Together, Archaeologist’s Desk/Decoding Glyphs, What Is It? and Play Ball. What’s the Story? sits just outside the station. A photo of the archaeologist shows him wearing a watch with a distinctive leather wristband.

Biology Field Station
The Biology Station has three discrete areas—Is It Fatal?, Whose Skull?, and Beans and Seeds—where visitors explore the flora and fauna of the Mexican rainforest. Each area is equipped with charts, and expert’s notebooks to help visitors identify the various specimens and learn about the roles of local plants and animals in Mayan culture and Central America today. see videos

Astromathematics Field Station
The Astromathematics Station is equipped with inventive devices constructed and left by the astromathematician. These help explain the Mayan number system (Counting in Mayan), how the Maya kept track of time (Time Trackers), and an astronomical phenomenon (Here Comes the Sun).