From carved stelae to painted codices, the Maya wrote their history and myths in glyphs still being read today. Discover how scribes preserved knowledge and how millions still speak Maya languages across Central America.
On a stone stela, rows of intricate signs curve and twist. To outsiders they seem like art. To the Maya, they spoke: of kings and gods, of battles and time. Scribes dipped brushes into black and red paint, filling bark-paper books with stories of the cosmos.
Maya writing was a logosyllabic system—combining word-pictures with sound symbols. Each glyph block could be read as a complete word or broken down into syllables, creating one of the world's most sophisticated ancient scripts.
Build glyphs by combining logograms and syllables to create meaning
Click components to build the word "Ajaw" (Lord/Ruler)
Made from animal hair and plant fibers
Amate paper from fig tree bark
Explore the surviving painted books and stone inscriptions
Only 4 Maya books survived the Spanish conquest
Contains precise eclipse predictions and ceremonial calendar
6 million people still speak Maya languages across Central America today
Modern Maya communities maintain their linguistic heritage through bilingual education, cultural programs, and digital preservation efforts.
Key discoveries that unlocked Maya writing
Astronomical precision preserved in paper
Contains eclipse prediction tables accurate to within hours, demonstrating Maya mathematical sophistication.
Pakal's tomb reveals dynastic history
The longest known Maya text, chronicling generations of rulers and their divine legitimacy.
Monuments to time and power
Massive stone monuments with intricate calendrical calculations and ruler portraits.
Bring Maya writing to your classroom
Students practice writing their names using Maya syllabary and learn basic glyph structure.
Interactive exercises to match glyphs with sounds and meanings, building reading skills.
Annotated codex pages with guided questions for classroom discussion and analysis.