New exhibit uses critical science subjects to unearth an ancient secret

SUGAR LAND, TX — The secrets of an ancient world await in Mystery of the Mayan Medallion, opening at the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land on May 24, 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 2, 2024. Visit sugarland.hmns.org for tickets and information.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land—On Oct. 3, 2009, a historic prison building in the residential community area of Telfair opened to the public, transformed – as the new Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land. This satellite facility of HMNS includes five permanent galleries reflecting the most popular exhibit areas of the downtown Museum location. In addition to permanent exhibitions, the 43,000 square foot building and the surrounding 5.5 acres of land that house the museum present a variety of compelling traveling exhibitions. Located at 13019 University Blvd. (at the corner of University and New Territory Blvds.), a visit to HMNS at Sugar Land is always an adventure.

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