At the observatory, you can find out how the Maya studied the stars and how important they were in their culture. The stars were very symbolic to the Maya. The Milky Way was a giant tree that connected the earth with the heavens and the underworld. You can see it running from the horizon and over your head. It runs through the constellations Scorpio  and Sagittarius. Like the Greeks, the Maya saw a large scorpion in the sky. And in Sagittarius they saw a giant rattlesnake. According to the Popul Vuh, the Maize God descends into the underworld, along the Milky Way, and dies there. Back on earth, all the corn withers and dies with him.

As you exit the observatory, you can also learn about four gods that were very important to the Maya, the Maize God, the Rain God, the Death God, and the Great Rainbow Goddess. To learn more about Mayan gods, go to http://putnam.k12.il.us/Mayan.htm.

There are several clues you will find along the way, such as a ball player and a conch shell near the tomb. At the Archeology Tent you will learn more about these artifacts and what they mean.

You will also learn how to translate Mayan glyphs into English. Download this PDF for a short explanation. We've made an online game, The Great Mayan Adventure, especially for you so you can learn more about glyphs and ancient Palenque at the same time! In this game you will see many glyphs and learn their meanings, and you can make up your own Mayan name!

Corn (maize) was a staple in the diet of the Maya. For special ceremonies and festivals, Mayan kings often dressed as the Maize God, the god of corn. The king's headdress was decorated to look like a corn plant to assure his people he would provide plenty of corn, the main food of teh Maya.

Music was very important to the Maya. They used instruments such as wooden trumpets, bone flutes, and conch shells. The Maya sounded trumpets when going into battle, on hunts, at ball games, and for other occasions. The markings on the conch shell usually tell who owned the trumpet. The trumpet you find has the glyphs for Black Viper and Ruler of Palenque, so it was owned by the king.

At the Astromathematics Tent, find out all about the Mayan counting system, and learn how the Mayans built temples to line up with the suns rays. To learn how to count in Mayan, download this Mayan Number Chart.

If you're wondering what creatures you may have encountered if you lived in an ancient Mayan civilization, you can find out in the Biology Tent. Learn to identify several venemous creatures, including the scorpion (highly venomous - seek help at once!), black widow (painful but not often fatal) and the Far-de-Lance (whose bite will cause serious pain and often death). You can also learn what the Maya grew and ate. If you see a Freya (spider) don't worry, it's bite is painful, but not fatal.

There are many interesting things you will learn about this ancient civilization. The Mayan ball game played an important part in Mayan culture. Royalty often played, and they were often a part of religious ceremonies. For an online version of this ancient game, play the Mesoamerican Ballgame.

 

 

To see when the Mystery of the Mayan Medallion is coming to a location near you, check our schedule.

Enjoy some Mayan games we've found online in the Kids' Quest section of our website!