School’s out and LICM invites families to take a virtual vacation as the Museum hosts Fiesta Maya: A Celebration of Culture and Cuisine on Thursday, April 12 from noon to 4 p.m. The festival will explore four themes: Food, Art, Ceremonies/Celebrations and Storytelling. Hands-on activities will engage visitors in an exploration of Mayan culture. The event is made possible with the support of the New York Council for the Humanities.
Celebrate the mystery and intrigue of the Maya empire in a unique and interesting way in honor of LICM’s visiting exhibit The Mystery of the Mayan Medallion. Visitors will get the chance to grind corn to make a traditional corn cake and cacao beans to create a Maya inspired chocolate drink. Both were staples in Maya culture and ceremonies. Children will enjoy creating bright macaw headdresses using feathers and other materials similar to ceremonial headdresses worn by Maya royalty. Other hands on activities include creating number necklaces using Maya numbers to represent your age, sculpting miniature clay pots using the ancient Maya technique of only using your hands and making codex books to record your family history.
Families can also meet two local archeologists, Laraine Anne Fletcher and Ryan McGrath. Fletcher has a PhD in Anthropology and has conducted field work at the Maya sites of Coba and Calakmul in Mexico. She is the chairperson of the Anthropology Department at Adelphi University. McGrath pursuing a Master’s Degree in Anthropology, specializes in Mesoamerican archeology and mythology and Maya culture. Visitors will get the chance to ask questions about their experiences and learn about their exciting profession. They will share information about the ancient commemoration sculptures known as a stela. Afterwards families will be invited to add their distinguishing mark to the Museum’s stela.
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“The goal for this event is to provide families with a meaningful experience that deepens their understanding of the world around them. It’s amazing how many different ways the Maya culture has influenced our everyday life and we don’t even realize it,” comments LICM Director of Education Aimee Terzulli “Working with our Maya scholars and tapping into expertise brings the event to another level.”
