The Maya universe is a living one; it is our universe. It will endure as long as the sky vault with its stars still exists, and this Earth, with its heavens, its moon, and its sun at dawn and dusk.

As long as our jungles remain alive. As long as the jaguar—the nocturnal sun—still roams among ceibas and mahoganies. As long as jade mosaics speak to us from the faces of ancient lords, we will be able to decipher the codes of their essence.

A jade mask is, at once, life, death, and resurrection in an infinite cycle of existence; it is the divine visage of a ruler whose power became the vital force of his people, and of the universe itself.

The Maya culture—our heritage, a living heritage—has an eloquent face. A face of jade that, in truth, is the crucible of a culture—its universe.

María del Pilar Cuairán Chavarría