Time Capsule: 2013 – 2065

A sealed container to be opened in 52 years

A time capsule that was inspired by the ancient Maya has been installed by cultural officials in Guatemala City to show the country’s future generations what life was like in 2013.

Messages, cards, articles from the present day and predictions for tomorrow were deposited into the container, which will be opened in 2065.

“The opening of the capsule coincides with the start of a new phase in the Mayan calendar: Chol Ab´ y el Chol Q´ij,” says Everardo Chuc, director of cultural development.

“What we are doing now is the same thing that our ancestors used to do to ensure that future generations would know about their country and the people who lived in it.”

The documents, including letters from President Otto Pérez Molina and Olympic medalist Erick Barrondo, along with other memorabilia including the REVUE magazine’s January 2013 Photo Issue, were placed in a hand-decorated cedar box and wrapped in a huipil before being deposited within a green marble statue.

Officials hope the capsule will give those living half a century from now an idea of what Guatemala’s economic, social and political situation was like in 2013. The container was sealed on April 22, during an Earth Day ceremony, which marked the convergence of the two Mayan calendars—the Haab and the Tzolkin—with the lunar calendar.

Many of the children who witnessed the capsule being installed will be invited back to its opening in 52 years.
Located in the Palace of Culture in zone 1 of Guatemala City, the capsule will remain accessible to both foreigners and Guatemalans until it is opened.