Decoding Mayan Writing

Hieroglyphs are pictures or symbols used in writing. The hieroglyphs of the ancient Egyptians are the most famous, but the Egyptians weren’t the only people to use this form of writing. In Mexico and Central America, the Maya developed hieroglyphs that are quite different from the Egyptian ones. Only in recent years have experts been able to interpret Maya writing. The Maya carved hieroglyphs in stone and also wrote them in books or codices, made of deer hide or tree bark.

When the Spanish conquered the Maya in the 15^th century, they buried many of the codices. Most of the stone carvings were hidden by jungle overgrowth until the mid-1800, when explorers began to find lost Maya cities. By that time, no one knew how to read the ancient hieroglyphs. Maya writing is hard to decipher. In Egyptian writing, hieroglyphs represent words. Many are pictures of real or imaginary things, such as people, gods, animals, plants and tools.