Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin Celebrates Maya Civilization

Martin Gropius-Bau Museum in Berlin is hosting an exclusive exhibition entitled "Die Maya - Sprache der Schönheit" (Maya - The language of beauty), dedicated to one of the oldest cultures in the world, ABC and EFE report. Inaugurated by the President of Germany Joachim Gauck and his counterpart from Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, the exhibition contains about 300 archaeological artifacts, some considered true Mexican national treasures.

 

Some pieces in this exhibition - which runs until 7th of August - have never been seen outside Mexico. One of the main features of the exhibition is the representation of the Maya culture vision of life with different materials and techniques through special and sumptuous works of art, as explained the museum representatives while presenting the exhibits.

The exhibits are organized into several thematic groups and reflect everyday life, the relationship with the gods, the cosmos, the literature, the ideal of beauty, music and Maya dances. The Collection includes busts, masks, figurines, jewelry reflecting the ideal of beauty of this culture.

The Museum director, Gereon Sievernich stresses that artistic representations of the Maya culture used up to 30 colors. Therefore the deity of scribes was chosen as the emblematic image of this exhibition. The sculpture representing the deity was part of the cultural period from 1250 to 1500 and was discovered in the archaeological site of Mayapan.

The oldest piece in the exhibition dates from the year 200 BC.

Among the most striking exhibits, according to the curator of the exhibition, there are clothing items - textile and sandals - found in sacred basin of "Cenote Sagrado" from the archaeological site of Chichen Itza (Yucatan Peninsula). Clothing indicates the social status of the person.

The curator also stressed the importance of German archaeologists and researchers interested in the late eighteenth century Mayan culture.