Learning about Ancient Maya & the Power of Field Trips
He runs over and grabs my hand – something that has become more and more rare in this middle school year – “come look at this Mom!” He pulls me from display to display, explaining as we go what he’s noticed about the Ancient Maya art styles. He’s delighted and enthusiastic and eager to share. At one point he borrows my phone to take photos. This excitement about learning is, to me, the magic of field trips.
affiliate links are included below.
Field Trip: Maya Exhibit – California Science Center
The California Science Center is a seriously cool museum with exhibits on ecosystems, reproduction, and outer space. You can see one of the few shuttles that has been to the moon right there housed in the museum. All of this, even more shockingly, is free.
The special visiting exhibit however is why we visited – Maya. It does cost a fee and require a reserved time to enter, but entirely worth it in my opinion. We are a year into our study of history, starting with the very early beginnings of life and we’re leaving the continent of Europe to head to Central America and study the Maya civilization.
The Mayan, as carefully cataloged in a timeline at the museum, existed from 1800 BC to 1697 CE when the last kingdom fell to a conquistador. This truly remarkable society adapted, invented, and survived their way through hundreds of years. Their artistry, inventiveness, religion, and more are all on display in this exhibit. The shear volume or artifacts is impressive.
Other Resources on Ancient Maya:
Finding resources about Ancient Maya is difficult. As we’ve moved around the world and studied different civilizations in the past year, the disparity in educational materials between different pieces of history has really emphasized for me the fixation our education system has on certain areas of history. You could read for months and not get through the library’s resources on Ancient Egypt for example, but finding anything about the Ancient Mayans, Ancient Celts, or anything aside from Egypt in Africa is much more difficult. That being said, here are the resources we have found to extend our learning about Ancient Maya.
A Land of Books
by Duncan Tonatiuh
Amazon Affiliate
Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns
by Duncan Tonatiuh
Amazon Affiliate
Where is Chichen Itza?
by Paula K. Manzanero
Amazon Affiliate
Water and Classical Civilizations
Crash Course World History – on YouTube
The Americas and Time Keeping
Crash Course History – on YouTube
