Maya civilization

:This article is about the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. See Maya people for a discussion of the modern Maya. For other meanings of the word Maya, see Maya (disambiguation)

Writing and literacy

Writing system

: Main article: Maya hieroglyphics

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Maya writing system (often called hieroglyphics from a vague superficial resemblance to the Ancient Egyptian writing, to which it is not related) was a combination of phonetic symbols and logograms. It is most often classified as a logographic or (more properly) a logosyllabic writing system, in which syllabic signs play a significant role. It is the only writing system of the Pre-Columbian New World which is known to completely represent the spoken language of its community. In total, the script has more than a thousand different glyphs, although a few are variations of the same sign or meaning, and many appear only rarely or are confined to particular localities. At any one time, no more than around 500 glyphs were in use, some 200 of which (including variations) had a phonetic or syllabic interpretation.

Related Topics:
Writing system - Hieroglyphics - Ancient Egypt - Phonetic - Logogram - Syllabic - Glyph

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The earliest inscriptions in an identifiably-Mayan script date back to the 1st century BCE. However, this is preceded by several other writing systems which had developed in Mesoamerica, most notably that of the Olmec culture, which originated around 700 - 500 BCE. The Maya system is believed by Mayanist scholars to have derived from this earlier script; however in the succeeding centuries the Maya developed their script into a form which was far more complete and complex than that of its predecessors.

Related Topics:
Mesoamerica - Olmec

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Since its inception, the Maya script was in use up to the arrival of Europeans, peaking during the Maya Classical Period (c. 200 - 900 CE). Although many Mayan centers went into decline (or were completely abandoned) during or after this period, the skill and knowledge of Mayan writing persisted amongst segments of the population, and the early Spanish conquistadores knew of individuals who could still read and write the script. Unfortunately the Spanish displayed little interest in it, and as a result of the dire impacts the conquest had on Maya societies the knowledge was subsequently lost, most probably within only a few generations.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At a rough estimate, around 10,000 individual texts have so far been recovered, mostly inscribed on stone monuments, lintels, stelae and ceramic pottery. Maya civilization also produced numerous texts using the bark of certain trees in a "book-format", called a codex. Shortly after the conquest, all of these latter which could be found were ordered to be burnt and destroyed by zealous Spanish priests, notably Bishop Diego de Landa. Out of these Maya codices, only three reasonably-intact examples are known to have survived through to the present day. These are now known as the Madrid, Dresden, and Paris codices. A few pages survive from a fourth, the Grolier codex, whose authenticity is sometimes disputed, but mostly is held to be genuine. Further archaeology conducted at Mayan sites often reveals other fragments, rectangular lumps of plaster and paint chips which formerly were codices; these tantalizing remains are however too severely damaged for any inscriptions to have survived, most of the organic material having decayed.

Related Topics:
Monument - Lintel - Stela - Book - Codex - Priest - Bishop Diego de Landa - Maya codices

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The decipherment and recovery of the now-lost knowledge of Maya writing has been a long and laborious process. Some elements were first deciphered in the late 19th and early 20th century: mostly the parts having to do with numbers, the Maya calendar, and astronomy. Major breakthroughs came starting in the 1950s to 1970s, and accelerated rapidly thereafter. By the end of the 20th century, scholars were able to read the majority of Maya texts to a large extent, and work done in the field continues to further illuminate the content.

Related Topics:
19th - 20th century - Numbers - Maya calendar - 1950s - 1970s

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In reference to the few extant Maya writings, Michael D. Coe, a prominent linguist and epigrapher at Yale University stated:

Related Topics:
Michael D. Coe - Epigrapher - Yale University

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:"ur knowledge of ancient Maya thought must represent only a tiny fraction of the whole picture, for of the thousands of books in which the full extent of their learning and ritual was recorded, only four have survived to modern times (as though all that posterity knew of ourselves were to be based upon three prayer books and 'Pilgrim's Progress')." (Michael D. Coe, The Maya, London: Thames and Hudson, 4th ed., 1987, p. 161.)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Most surviving Pre-Columbian Maya writing is from stelae and other stone inscriptions from Maya sites, many of which were already abandoned before the Spanish arrived. The inscriptions on the stelae mainly record the dynasties and wars of the sites' rulers. Much of the remainder is funeral pottery, mostly describing the afterlife.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Writing tools

Although the archaeological record does not provide examples, Maya art shows that writing was done with brushes made with animal hair and quills. Codex-style writing was usually done in black ink with red highlights, giving rise to the Aztec name for the Maya territory as the "land of red and black".

Related Topics:
Quills - Ink - Aztec

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Scribes

Scribes held a prominent position in Maya courts. Maya art often depicts rulers with trappings indicating they were scribes or at least able to write, such as having pen bundles in their headdresses. Additionally, many rulers have been found in conjunction with writing tools such as shell or clay inkpots.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Literacy

Although the number of logograms and syllabic symbols required to fully write the language numbered in the hundreds, literacy was not necessarily widespread beyond the elite classes. Graffiti uncovered in various contexts, including on fired bricks, shows nonsensical attempts to imitate the writing system.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~