LANCASTER — Many people probably think of the Maya as pre-Columbian inhabitants of Mexico and Central America who vanished after the Spanish conquest of the Americas in the 16th Century. It is true that they existed well before Columbus came to America. Maya civilization began around 2000 BC.

But the Maya are not extinct. Visitors to the Lancaster Art Museum's exhibit, "World of the Ancient Maya," will learn that more than 6 million Indians of Maya descent still live in Mexico and Central America.

They are the second-largest surviving aboriginal culture in the Americas, after the Quechua peoples of Peru and Bolivia.

The contemporary Maya, and the ancient ruins of their culture that have survived into the 20th Century, inspire many artists today.

Together with early Maya artifacts and a thorough explanation of Maya history and culture, the museum's exhibit presents the work of seven contemporary artists who have been deeply affected by the Maya way of life.

These artists express this influence in a variety of media--watercolor, jewelry, ceramics, wood, photography and batik.

Museum curator Norma Gurba organized the show to "bring to life the Maya influence, both modern and ancient," she said.

"People think they were such a primitive people, but their hieroglyphic writing system, mathematics, astronomy and architectural constructions built in the jungles are amazing."

Gurba hopes that visitors will "learn about other people" from the show, "not just history, but an understanding of other cultures. Not everyone gets to Mexico or Central America."

All of the artists in this show have spent time in Maya communities.

Photographer Jorge Perez de Lara, a native of Mexico, said he is fascinated with all things Maya.

Photographing Maya cities and art is a way for him to understand the people, and to pay homage to the ancient civilization. His photographs on view capture the ruins of Chichen Itza in the Yucatan, Copan in Honduras, Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico, and Tikal in Guatemala.

Watercolorists Joanna Mersereau and Don O'Neill began visiting Maya communities in Mexico in the 1970s. O'Neill, an architect, creates a sense of place in images based on his trips to Mexico.

Mersereau's warm, vibrant watercolors focus on the men, women and children of contemporary Maya society, as well as the patterns and designs in the art and clothing of their ancestors.