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The exhibition “Treasures of the Maya Spirit” was presented to the public at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California, as part of the great events at the LA Art & Antique Show (January 14 -19 2014). The show featured more than 200 examples from Precolumbian to Contemporary art, given on loan by La Ruta Maya Conservation Foundation, Friends of the Ixchel Museum, Xipe Totec Projects and Paiz Foundation for Education and Culture.

The tour started with eighty four Pre-Columbian objects from the collection of La Ruta Maya Foundation, among which were highlighted a sculpture carved in stucco with figure of a warrior-dancer wearing a jaguar mask and a jaguar pelt skirt; a group of “incensarios”  from the Tiquisate region in Escuintla, richly decorated with applied clay ornaments; and a round altar portraying the king Itzamnaaj B’ahlam II, Lord of Yaxchilan, who reigned between 681 and 742 d. C.

Other works included pottery vessels, ornaments, a jade mosaic masquette probably used in a royal belt, and sculptures that depict and illustrate the events related to the Maya kings and deities, royal portraiture, hieroglyphic writing, calendar, attire, and ornamentation.

The exhibition also featured outstanding examples of contemporary Guatemalan art such as slingshots carved in wood and other materials, a group of wonderful masks for ceremonial dances, and textiles with a display of representative huipiles or blouses representing various ethno-linguistic groups of Guatemala.

The Maya Museum of America Foundation (MMAF) had an active participation during this event, presenting for the first time, to the public in the United States, the project of a world class museum for Guatemala. The MMAF presented a three-dimentional model, informative talks and renderings of the museum.