Linda Schele Museum!

The Ceiling of the “Linda Schele Museum” is composed of color reproductions of several of the murals from the Classic Maya City of Bonampak.  These murals were famous for the vibrant blue pigment known as "Maya Blue". Bonampak, known anciently as Ak'e or, in its immediate area as Usiij Witz, 'Vulture Hill' is an ancient Maya archaeological site in the Mexican state of Chiapas.

Room #1 

At the entrance to the room there is a case showing the ruins of Palenque and replicas of the jade pieces of Pakal the Great. This Maya King had more than 26 pounds of jade covering his body.

At the end of the room is a diorama scene showing Maya Lapidary techniques, with a live waterfall and reproductions of ancient Maya tools used for cutting jade.   

Adjacent to the Lapidary Techniques display is a representation of the tomb of Rio Azul.  There is a pyramid above and a depiction of the tomb of the ruler below. 

The tomb walls were covered with bright red inscriptions of Maya Hieroglyphs and some of the tomb' contents. Featured is the famous cacao pot are displayed on the floor of the tomb.  

Nearby is a glass case with the reproduction of the Jade Mask belonging to the ruler, which was stolen from the tomb before the archeologists arrived in 1984.  The mask and other jade artifacts are in the hands of a private Swiss collector.

Jade Maya has worked alongside the government of Guatemala to aid in the recovery of stolen national treasures and bring them back to Guatemala where they belong.

Along the far wall of the museum is a long case with a timeline showing 3,000 years of the history of jade. This includes the seven different civilizations that carved and traded jade over the years. There are over 20 jade carvings and masks from the different eras in this case.

 

On the near side of museum is a case showing the civilization of Teotihuacan with a photo mural of the site and eight replicas of artifacts from Mesoamerica.

The arch on the right, which leads to Room #2, is surrounded by the twenty symbols representing the twenty days in the Sacred Maya Calendar: The Cholq’ij.  Above the arch is an artistic carving representing the canoe of the Milky Way.

Room #2 

You will find a map on the right showing the trade routes where jade was traded in Mesoamerica during 3,000 years. 

On the left is a jade representation of the mechanics of the Maya Cholq’ij with the interconnecting cogs of the wheels of jade which can be turned manually to show the movement of time. 

Along the wall is a tribute to the great Maya archaeologist, Linda Schele, for whom the museum is named, showing some of the jade pieces she carved and displaying examples of books she wrote.  Further along the wall is a display of examples of jade Inlay in teeth. The display shows the techniques used in the process.

The dramatic pyramid tomb at the end of the room shows a replica pyramid with a cut away wall.  The cut away shows the skeleton of a ruler with his jade mask, his necklace, and the jade offerings common in the grave goods of a Maya ruler.  The replica tomb is subtly lit and contains large rock crystals, starfish, conch shell and spondylus shells similar to those found In a tomb at Tikal. 

Replicas Collections