The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia has one of the largest Mayan collections in the Northeast. Included are examples of hieroglyphic writings on stone stelae and altars, as well as other carvings. Each spring the museum sponsors a Maya weekend — an immersion in all things Maya. Next year it will be held April 13-15. The museum is located at 3260 South St.; 1-215-898-4000.

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh has on display until Jan. 14 "Mayan Procession," which focuses on the contemporary Maya people of Guatemala. The exhibit includes 14 life-size oil paintings by artist Winifred Godfrey as well as 32 color photographs of modern Maya people taken between 1992 and 2003 and hand-woven Maya clothing and textiles.

And if you're visiting Los Angeles, be sure to check out two homes that Frank Lloyd Wright designed in the 1920s influenced by Mayan architecture: Hollyhock House, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., 1-323-644-6269 (for tour info), www.Hollyhockhouse.net; and The Ennis House, which is currently undergoing renovation (2655 Glendower Ave., 1-323-660-0607, www.ennishouse.org).