The Maya Harvest

Since 2500 BC, the Maya have grown and cultivated crops like maize (corn), squash, beans, tobacco, and cocoa, settling into an agricultural lifestyle quite different from their previously nomadic ways. They used astronomy to work the seasons to their advantage and determine the best months to plant and harvest their crops. Maya farmers harnessed rainwater …

Experiencing Maya Hidden Worlds Revealed: Maya Rites of Passage

Many civilizations, including the Maya, have specific social events that are celebrated as significant moments in an individual’s life. These events are called rites of passage, and they demonstrate transformation within a community and indicate a change to a different social status. We will take a look at some examples of Maya rites of passage …

Experiencing Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed- Maya Weapons & Warfare

Initially, anthropologists thought the Maya were peaceful, focusing their energy only on agriculture, building, and astronomy. Despite these previous beliefs, further research on architecture and carvings suggests that the Maya Civilization was a militarized, often warring society. Warfare was important to the Maya way of life because of disputes over resources between nation-states, and because …

Experiencing Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed- Maya Architecture

Maya Architecture is thought of as towering pyramids and detailed palaces. However, these pyramids look different than the typical pyramids we think about in Egypt.  Maya pyramids have steps built into the external structure so the buildings can be climbed from the outside. The design of these buildings were inspired by other Mesoamerican cultures such …

How To Build An Exhibit: Our Changing Earth

Have you ever wondered how the Connecticut Science Center’s exhibit galleries and exhibits are developed? Here is a behind the scenes tour of how our most recent gallery, Our Changing Earth, came into being. Exhibit design is a way of telling a story, determining the most effective way to engage audiences in the topic. There …

Experiencing Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed- Baby Names of the Maya

When the expecting parents hear that they are going to have a child they become excited with all of the possibilities of what to name their newborn pride and joy, including parents of the Maya civilization. Like many parents, Maya parents are very deliberate with every intention they set for their children so there will …

Behind the Scenes in the E-Cab: Raising Butterflies

At the Connecticut Science Center we have a special exhibit called the Butterfly Encounter. This is an indoor greenhouse filled with an assortment of exotic plants and butterflies. The Encounter is an ecotourism attraction that helps support the education of students and the public alike regarding conservation, biodiversity, and different environment. With hundreds of people …

Experiencing Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed- The Maya Calendar

The Maya people had many innovative and defining practices and structures that helped their civilization flourish. The Maya had a numeric system, games, aqueducts, and even a calendar to tell time. The calendar that the Maya used looks very different in comparison to the 12 month Gregorian Calendar that we use. The Mayan Calendar consists …