The event will be held Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall in the Dolores Dore´ Eccles Fine Arts Center on the Dixie State campus and will feature eight pieces of Maya artifacts, with some dating as far back as 1700 B.C., according to a press release issued by the university.

Several of these pieces come from the Pacific littoral that includes areas of southern Mexico and Guatemala. The event is free to attend, but seating is limited. Seats can be reserved before the event to assure a spot.

“These are exciting and very rare artifacts,” Strobell said in the release. “They demonstrate the artistic abilities and social structures that existed during the early Pre-Classic period in Mesoamerica.”

The presentation will explain the origination of each artifact, as well as its intended purpose and social significance. By the time the presentation is over, attendees will have a greater appreciation for the ingenuity, artistic ability and habitudes of the Maya people.

The artifacts will be on display for anyone to see through the end of April at the Sears Art Museum, located in the Eccles Fine Arts Center.

Strobell has been working for 22 years with the Maya people in Guatemala. His work in Guatemala includes building schools, improving cooking stoves, medical clinics, community sanitation and potable water projects in remote Maya villages. In 2019, he completed his doctorate degree at American Trinity University in Maya studies. He is currently the president of a nonprofit foundation for the improvement of Maya people in Guatemala.

Tyson Pulsipher, director of community education at Dixie State, said in the release that without Strobell’s connections, they will likely not have this opportunity again. 

“It is very fortunate that we have the opportunity to host these artifacts here at Dixie State,” he said.

For more information or to reserve your seat, contact the Community Education office at 435-652-7675 or online.