Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History

Why set foot on a college campus, especially while you're on vacation? 

For most of us, the last thing on our minds when we're on vacation is school. But visiting the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus is well worth the trip. 

Founded in 1969, the Barrick Museum is one of the oldest buildings on campus. In fact, this building was the original basketball court for the UNLV Rebels. While this is no longer a place for shooting hoops, the museum kept the original wooden floor of the court. Currently, the museum exhibits more than 500 objects of Mesoamerican art, spanning a period of 2,000 years. 

One exhibit includes a collection of Mexican and Guatamalan masks, which served religious, ritualistic or social purposes. Comprised of more than 100 masks, the display provides history for each mask category, including the fascinating Catrine masks. According to the museum's excerpt, both male and female masks symbolized the French who occupied Mexico in the 19th century. These masks often featured details like glass eyes, eyelashes, and moving eyelids. The dancers wore top hats, suits and white gloves, poking fun at the once wealthy landowners. You'll also see viejo(old man) masks and barbone (bearded one) masks, among many other colorful creations. 

And speaking of colorful, the Guatemalan costumes and textiles are sure to please the eye with all their bright and vivid patterns. 

Just steps away, the ancient figurines depict everything from animals to monsters, gods and creators and tricksters. And while most museums are dead quiet, here you can play instrument replicas in the music exhibit. 

In the Pre-Colombian art section, you'll see particular objects used for sacrifices and rituals. Since the museum owns thousands of Pre-Columbian objects, only a small section can fit at a time. These objects are housed off-site and rotated often. While you're here, make sure to grab the complimentary history cards so you can read about the history behind each piece of artwork. 

Kids can have fun digging up artifacts, coloring and doing rubbings in the lobby. If you want to read more about Mesoamerican history and culture, there is a library available by appointment. For more enrichment, the museum shows a different film Monday - Friday. 

The museum also showcases temporary exhibits, which change quite frequently. Make sure to take a stroll through the Xeric Garden before or after your museum experience. You'll see agave, yucca, beavertail, cholla bunny ears, cotton top and barrel cactus. 

-- Review by Jeannie Borbe