The Writing of the Maya People

New discoveries change everything we know about this civilisation

Discoveries have recently been made to decipher newly discovered Maya art and writing. The discovery has pushed back the timeline of Maya inventions and achievements by many years. 

The Maya people largely inhabited areas of humidity, which resulted in many of their books, painted buildings, and artwork not surviving. It was considered much of their knowledge had been lost. 

Then archaeologists discovered painted murals and other art in the deepest levels of Maya structures. Building new structures over and around the orders helps preserve more art than was first thought. 

The uncovered ceremonial centres display large cities containing temples, pyramids, palaces, and recreation areas. Their agriculture saw them develop advanced techniques of irrigation and terracing. 

Maya writing

It is Maya's writing, though, that interests me the most. Maya's writing is a combination of exquisite pictures and symbols. Maya artists and writers were called t'zib. The hieroglyphs meant that writers were also skilled artists.