Embark on an Archaeological Adventure in Mystery of the Mayan Medallion

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The secrets of an ancient world await in Mystery of the Mayan Medallion, which opened at the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land (HMNS at Sugar Land) on May 24th, 2024.

In this immersive exhibit, visitors are transported to Palenque, Mexico, where an archaeological team has mysteriously disappeared from a dig site while investigating rumors of a priceless jade medallion. They will follow the clues the team left behind, and even crawl through the inside of a tomb area, to locate the precious medallion while avoiding the dangers lurking in the ruins.

Along the way, visitors will:

• translate glyphs;
• discover which rainforest animals are poisonous;
• learn how the Mayans recorded dates;
• take rubbings from a sarcophagus;
• interpret a “battle” mural;
• study skeletal remains;
• and much more!

Exhibit components include: archaeology, biology and astro-mathematic field stations, an observatory and a tomb area that yields clues to the medallion’s whereabouts. These components will help visitors answer questions like: “Why did the jaguar have a special meaning to the Maya?”, “How did the Maya came up with the idea of zero?” and “What gods did the Maya worship?”

“We just know that guests of all ages will enjoy engaging in the many scientific components within Mystery of the Mayan Medallion,” said Kavita Self, Executive Director of HMNS at Sugar Land. “Museum patrons will journey back in time on an adventure that is a fun mix of history, math and astronomy, and they’ll love piecing these critical subjects together to solve a mystery!”

Mystery of the Mayan Medallion is an exhibit by the Museum of Discovery, Little Rock, Arkansas. It will remain at the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land through September 2nd, 2024. Visit sugarland.hmns.org for tickets and information.