KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A piece of artwork more than 1,500 years old has joined the Mayan exhibit that’s currently on display at Union Station.

You can learn more about one of the world’s greatest civilizations without ever leaving Kansas City.

A collaboration between the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Union Station will allow scholars and archeologists to gain new understanding of Mayan artwork that hasn’t been publicly displayed in 15 years.

Leaders of both institutions unveiled a 120-pound inscription stone, which joins about 300 other original Mayan artifacts on loan from the La Ruta Maya Foundation and the Guatemalan Ministry of Culture.

“I want to invite people to think of museums or exhibitions like this as a time travel machine,” said Julián Zugazagoitia, director and CEO of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art . “You know maybe this winter; you cannot go to Mexico or to Guatemala but you can come here in the middle of Kansas City and discover a culture that you might not totally be familiar with.”

The Mayan exhibit showcases the continuing human need to understand the workings of the world around us, and is a source of pride to Latinos.

This exhibition has been extended through March at Union Station. Adult tickets are under $20. Union Station members can see the cultural art for $14.

In the coming years, Union Station and the Nelson museum will be linked by Kansas City’s streetcar, creating an Avenue of the Arts for visitors to easily explore more of the art and culture Kansas City has to offer.