What's On

Villa Family Festival

GETTY VILLA

Sunday, May 19, 2024

The Getty Villa

Free

Get free tickets to the Getty Villa

Get free tickets to the Getty Villa

Cultures from opposite sides of the world come together at this daylong family festival inspired by the exhibition Picture Worlds: Greek, Maya, Moche Pottery. Move to traditional Greek folk music, enjoy the dances and sounds of diverse Peruvian cultures, create your own melodies with pre-Columbian instruments, explore the Maya calendar, and witness a ballgame that has roots going back 3,500 years.


SCHEDULE

PERFORMANCES

Ceremonial Maya Procession and Invocation
By Casa De La Cultura Maya. Led by spiritual guide and healer Nana Batz and timekeeper and spiritual guide Tata Marco Pacheco.
10:45 AM | 4:40 PM

The Dimitris Mahlis Ensemble
11:00 AM-12:00 PM| 1:00-2:00 PM | 3:00-4:00 PM
Inner Peristyle Garden

The Dimitris Mahlis Ensemble joyfully brings forth rich examples of traditional Greek music. From Constantinople and Smyrna in Asia Minor to the islands of the Aegean, as well as traditional and urban music of the Greek mainland, the ensemble performs with respect for tradition and an ear to the future.

Pok-ta-pok: the Maya Ballgame with Casa de la Cultura Maya
11:15–11:45 AM | 3:15–3:45 PM
Education Courtyard

The Maya ballgame, known as pok-ta-pok, was one of several games played in Mesoamerica. The game was played for entertainment during festivals, on special occasions, or even as a substitute for war! The game persists to this day, played as a sport.

INCA, the Peruvian Ensemble
12:00–12:45 PM | 2:30–3:15 PM
Auditorium

Be transported to Peru by a colorful array of music and dances from the Andean region. This eclectic presentation includes music and dances from the Native Incas (Andean style), the Hispanic communities of the coastal areas (Criollo style), and the Black residents of villages south of Lima (Afro-Peruvian style).

The Ancient Maya Dance Traditions of the Deer (Past & Present) with Casa de la Cultura Maya
1:15-2:00 PM | 4:00–4:30 PM
Auditorium

The Deer Dance is an ancient Maya tradition that has been preserved by the Maya people to this day. It is a ritual performed to bring rain and good harvests. Similar rituals have been a common practice among various ethnic groups since pre-Hispanic times.


ALL DAY FUN!
Ongoing from 10:00 AM-5:00 PM

Martin Espino
Drop-in All Day!
West Belvedere

Explore the music and instruments of Mesoamerica with Martin Espino! Learn about ancient instruments and play traditional rhythms at this interactive instrument “petting zoo.”

Let’s Create a Maya Glyph with Stephanie Lozano
Drop-in All Day!
Outer Peristyle

See the world through the eyes of the Maya as you learn how to read ancestral Maya hieroglyphic writing. Explore several different glyphs and then create one of your own!

Pottery of the Past with Desi Sanchez
Drop-in All Day!
Outer Peristyle

Discover the art of storytelling through decorative pottery at this hands-on workshop inspired by the terra-cotta vessels of the ancient Greek, Maya, and Moche civilizations. Using paper crafts as a canvas, unleash your creativity and imagination as you decorate your own colorful masterpiece.

Color the Maya Calendar with Mundo Maya Foundation
Drop-in All Day!
Outer Peristyle

Using their knowledge of astronomy and mathematics, the ancient Maya developed one of the most accurate calendar systems in human history. Tata Jose Ajpu Muñoz, a Maya timekeeper, spiritual guide and ceremonial leader and Sara Z. Mijares, founder and president of Mundo Maya Foundation, will be on hand to guide participants through the wonder that is the Maya calendar. Participants will color and decorate their own paper Maya calendar to take home.

Talking Stick Workshop with Mundo Maya Foundation
12:15–1:15 PM | 2:00-3:00 PM
Education Studio

Learn about the importance and power of the sacred talking stick and then make your own at this special one-hour workshop. Each workshop will end with a talking circle.