Museo Popol Vuh - Collections and Holdings

Collections and Holdings

The exhibit galleries are organized chronologically beginning with the Paleoindian, Archaic, Preclassic, Early Classic, Late Classic, and Postclassic periods of the ancient Maya and ending with Colonial Art . More than 400 archaeological and colonial treasures are on display.

Paleoindian (15,000 – 9000 BC):

The oldest object in the Museum, which dates back to 9000 BC, is a clovis point, used as a sharp stone tool. It was found in Nahuala in Guatemala’s western highlands and is one of the few found in the country. The Paleoindian period is characterized by hunter-gatherer groups who entered the America by crossing a land bridge connecting eastern Siberia and Alaska.

Archaic (9000 – 1500 BC):

Most of the art found from the Archaic period was excavated from the central highlands and eastern pacific coast and includes many styles of ceramics, in specific, pottery. The Archaic period is recognized as the second period of human existence in the Americas and the shift from agriculture to sedimentary farming. Political organizations of chiefs and caciques and permanent agricultural settlements had been established by the end of this era. This civil structure influenced artists and what was painted on surface drawings on pottery art.

Preclassic (1500 BC – 250 AD):

Popular material found in artifacts during the Preclassic period involves ceramic, jade, and stone, much of which was traded with the Olmecs in the southern coast. The most notable site where most ojects were found is the Kaminaljuyu in the valley of Guatemala, which became popular for its irrigation canal system and its great buildings. The scale of their development reflected the status, power, and wealth of the chiefs of Kaminaljuyu. Many of the oldest examples of hieroglyphic texts are from Guatemala from this rich site. Exhibits from this era include ceramics from the Middle and Late Preclassic era from the Kaminaljuyu and southern coast.

Early Classic (250 – 600):

During this period, hieroglyph text was adopted as the main form of communication and art and multi-colored ceramics emerged as a popular element of Classic Maya art. Exhibits include polychrome ceramics from this period. Influence from the large city of Teotihuacan in central Mexico is evident in ceramic art with incense burner and cylindrical tripods of decorative styles. The largest area of the permanent exhibit at the Popol Vuh Museum is dedicated to the Classic period.

Late Classic (600 -900):

This period is known for the greatest exponential growth of population in the northern lowlands. The Mayan hieroglyphic texts excavated from this region were advanced, indicating a great level of complex interaction between cities and their political leaders. Exhibits include painted ceramic art of several regional styles depicting mythology, religion with god like figures containing hieroglyphic texts, and often indicating the owner of the piece and the artist.

Postclassic (900 – 1,500):

This era is registered as the collapse of the Maya civilization after the Spanish conquest. During this time, much of the population in the highlands and southern coast sough change with the use and trade of gold and copper. Exhibits in the museum from this era include plumbate pottery which has orange and grey tones and depicted lives of animals and supernatural entities of their surfaces. Such pottery was greatly influenced by Mexican culture and was widely traded throughout the Mesoamerica until the end of the Early Postclassic period.

Colonial Period (1500 - 19th century):

The colonial period was marked by a rigidly stratified society. During the Colonial period in Guatemala, artistic forms were predominantly educational and religious. Guatemalan sculptures of the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries include examples of Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassic styles.