Richard Hansen, a renowned specialist in the early Maya, will present a talk on this ancient civilization at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) on Sunday, February 19 at 1 p.m.

Hansen is the director of the Mirador Basin Project in northern Guatemala. The project has conducted extensive studies of flora and fauna, revealing the presence of six distinct types of tropical forest systems within the basin.

El Mirador has some of the largest pyramids in the world. (photo courtesy of Ann Flower Communications)

Hansen has conducted research in the area’s remote rainforests since 1978.

The title of the presentation is “The Mirador Basin: The Cultural and Natural Legacy in the Cradle of Maya Civilization.” It will cover the multi-disciplinary studies of the Mirador-Calakmul Basin of northern Guatemala that have revealed evidence of a flourishing ancient Maya civilization dating back centuries before the birth of Christ.  Part of a complex that is considered the largest collection of ancient Maya cities in the Western Hemisphere, El Mirador has what may be the largest pyramids in the world in volume and the tallest pyramids in the Americas.

The event will be held in the museum’s Brown Auditorium. Admission is free.

LACMA is located at 5905 Wilshire Blvd. For information, call (323)857-6000.