Painted Metaphors: Pottery and Politics of the Ancient Maya

The great Maya creation story, the Popol Vuh, sanctified the mountains, caves, and rivers of the Alta Verapaz of today’s Guatemala, where events played out in mythic time. Except for the excavations done by the Penn Museum in the early 20th century, the region is almost unknown archaeologically. 

Penn Museum’s Chamá vessels, the only collection with a secure history, show how objects reflect cultural shifts and how people cope with change. Painted Metaphors portrays a time of political change in a troubled outpost of the Maya world, and a human story of power and intrigue among people who lived more than 1,300 years ago. Nineteen Chamá polychrome ceramics are accompanied by more than 100 objects illustrating Maya daily life, religious ritual, and shifts in rulership. This is a traveling exhibit of unsurpassed beauty and archaeological significance. 

In addition to the objects, the exhibit offers a full-color special book and CDs on the conservation of the vessels as well as museum stewardship. Educational materials, a color catalogue, as well as a substantial book on Ancient May of the Alta Verapaz are available.

The Painted Metaphors website. This website can be customized with your institution's logo and links to your website.

May 3, 2010 - August 5, 2010
September 16, 2010 - January 3, 2011		Frank H. McClung Museum
February 7, 2011 - April 30, 2011
June 13, 2011 - September 3, 2011
October 5, 2011 - January 4, 2012
March 12, 2012 - June 4, 2012