A Once-in-a-Lifetime Ancient Americas Exhibition Is Heading to Shanghai
The grand global launch event for the Shanghai Museum’s sixth installment in its “A Dialogue With the World” Exhibition Series of Arts and Cultural Relics — “On Top of the World Tree: Ancient Civilizations of the Americas” — was held on Friday afternoon at the Meet-the-World Lounge.
Following the blockbuster “Top of the Pyramid: Ancient Egyptian Civilization,” this exhibition marks another major showcase by the Shanghai Museum centered on ancient world civilizations. With an extraordinary 16-month run, visitors will have the rare opportunity to immerse themselves in what is being described as a once-in-a-lifetime cultural event.
Centered around the “World Tree,” a core cosmological concept shared by ancient American civilizations, the exhibition brings together 1,129 sets and nearly 3,000 exquisite artifacts.
It showcases the major ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica and the Andes — including the Olmec, Maya, Teotihuacan, Aztec, and Andean cultures — taking visitors on a journey through the civilizations of the Americas from 1200 BCE to the 16th century.
The event is set to become the world’s largest, highest-level, and most up-to-date exhibition dedicated to ancient American civilizations ever staged.
Treasured artifacts from cultural institutions across seven provinces in China will also be displayed alongside these extraordinary masterpieces from the Americas.
Spanning the first, second, and third floors of the museum, with a total exhibition area exceeding 7,000 square meters, the exhibition focuses on the grand histories and priceless cultural relics of Mexico and Peru.
From the first to the second floor, more than 2,600 artifacts from 13 Mexican cultural institutions will be presented.
Through the lens of ancient Mesoamerica’s complex spiritual beliefs and remarkable material achievements, the exhibition reveals the distinct pantheons, political systems, and profound understanding of cosmic order and the cycle of life shared by the region’s civilizations.
Among the highlights is the San Lorenzo Colossal Head 4, one of the most iconic Olmec stone sculptures depicting a human head, housed in the Museum of Anthropology of Xalapa in Mexico.
Weighing approximately 4.5 tons, the sculpture stands as a powerful symbol of authority from the Olmec civilization, widely regarded as the earliest known civilization in the Americas.
Another major centerpiece from Mexico is Calakmul Stela 51 from the National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico), the tallest artifact at the exhibition.
Considered one of the finest portrait works in Maya art history, it depicts Yuknoom Took’ K’awiil, the greatest ruler of the Calakmul Kingdom.
Standing 4 meters high, the stela will be housed in a specially constructed temperature- and humidity-controlled glass pavilion outside People’s Square for public display.
On the third floor, 325 precious artifacts from the Larco Museum in Lima will be showcased, including 116 objects leaving Peru for the first time. These artifacts will guide visitors through the ancient world of the Andean civilization.
As the largest exhibition on the Andean civilization ever held in China, it is also one of the largest showcases of Andean gold and silver artifacts ever presented outside Peru as part of an international touring exhibition.
During the exhibition period, no other shows will be held at the Shanghai Museum’s People’s Square venue. Instead, the museum will transform more than 10,000 square meters into an immersive experience space. Before even entering the exhibition halls, visitors will walk through a recreated cornfield, stepping into the natural landscapes of ancient America.
In addition, two world-class immersive experience projects will be introduced, alongside a series of stunning digital media art installations created specifically for the exhibition spaces.
If you need a break during your visit, the museum will also feature newly added dining-friendly rest areas and cultural merchandise zones, offering a wide selection of exhibition-themed products.
Notably, to safely and efficiently complete this unprecedented transportation project, the Shanghai Museum deployed two dedicated large cargo aircraft for artifact transport for the first time globally. Traveling nearly 30,000 kilometers for the round trip, these flights brought many of the Americas’ most iconic museum treasures to Shanghai.
If you go:
Exhibition Dates:
July 9, 2026-November 14, 2027
(Closed on Mondays, except public holidays)
Venue: People's Square Hall, 1-3/F
Address：201 People's Ave | 人民大道201号
Ticket
Early Bird Tickets
Price: 120 yuan (US$17.6)
- Advance reservation with real-name registration required
Sales Period:
- May 8-May 31, limited to 200,000 tickets while supplies last
Purchase Channels:
- The Shanghai Museum official WeChat mini program, the Trip.com app, and overseas visitors may also purchase tickets via Trip.com International
Notes:
- Tickets follow a “purchase first, reserve later” system
- Each order is limited to 20 tickets
Regular Tickets
- Full-Price Ticket: 148 yuan (US$21.7)
- Designated-Date Ticket: 135 yuan (Valid during exhibition dates excluding July 9-August 31, 2026; January 1-February 28, 2027; July 1-August 31, 2027; weekends; and public holidays)
- Family Ticket A (1 adult + 1 child): 200 yuan
- Family Ticket B (2 adults + 1 child): 320 yuan (For children aged 6 to under 14)
Ticket Sales Period: June 1, 2026-November 14, 2027
Notes:
- Starting at 12pm on June 1, tickets for all July sessions will become available. Thereafter, tickets for the following month will go on sale at 12pm on the first day of each month. For example, tickets for August 1-31 will become available at 12pm on July 1, and so on.
- Due to venue capacity limits, ticket sales will end once all available spots are filled.
- Visitors must provide valid real-name identification information when purchasing tickets. Each visitor requires one ticket, and each valid ID may only reserve one admission per day.
- Visitors must select their preferred date and entry session when booking.
- Visitors must present valid identification for admission on the day of their visit.
- Refund services will be available for visitors unable to attend due to special circumstances.
