Dr. Mark Van Stone - How Maya Hieroglyphs are written - Demonstration

Mark Van Stone explains how Maya hieroglyphs are constructed, by writing a modern name in phonetic glyphs. Dr. Van Stone is an expert decipherer and calligrapher; author of "2012 - Science and Prophecy of the Ancient Maya" and co-author of "Reading the Maya Glyphs" with archaeologist Michael Coe.
You can find his books on Amazon, or you can get a cheap digital version or an autographed edition of his 2012 book from his website markvanstone.com

[@josueitzep4155]

I'm Mayan, I speak Mayan and my last name is Mayan. I like ur video.

[@mamayemajr.7514]

What type of Mayan do you speak

[@Daichifan1]

¿Vives en Guatemala?

[@silverwind9235]

Same I'm Qʼeqchiʼ except I can only say a few words what tribe are you from

[@IbisFernandez]

silver wind the maya don't live in tribes lol

[@TheSolidus909]

Pelana’!

[@A_friend_called_Five]

Fascinating video. The combination of his voice plus watching him draw those beautiful glyphs is very relaxing. I feel like I am watching Bob Ross.

[@medic173]

Scott Aguirre tru

[@LittleCorns]

Mayan is beautiful. Each symbol is a work of art itself cx

[@unknown-hb2to]

+Rohan Zener spaniards and latinos arent mayan,well latinos are the descendants of the mix of spaniard and native americans

[@unknown-hb2to]

+Rohan Zener my bad,i thought wrong.

[@jasonng04]

Isn't that the same for Han writing?

[@CeoLogJM]

@@jasonng04 There's only so much you can do with a Han character, a Maya glyph is a whole picture, a statue, detail can continue to be added.

[@jasonng04]

@@CeoLogJM Yeah true

[@TheGloriousLobsterEmperor]

Such a beautiful language. I one day hope that these glyphs can be implemented into unicode, allowing the speakers of Maya languages to write and communicate in their native script.

[@Captain-Waffles]

I would love to see these in unicode, I'm not Mayan but I absolutely love the writing system and the language (specifically Classic Mayan.)

[@ADeeSHUPA]

@@Captain-Waffles uP

[@Rolando_Cueva]

Native script* as they do use their native language.

[@TheGloriousLobsterEmperor]

@@Rolando_Cueva Oh yeah durr, how did I not realise what I wrote?! Cheers.

[@shalis16]

Outstanding introduction to Maya hieroglyphs by Dr. Mark van Stone (even though it is already nine years old). There seem to be a lot of questions in the comments about this writing system. To answer some of them: Q: Is the script written top to bottom like Japanese? A: The basic reading order is from left to right and top to bottom, in a zigzag pattern. For example, if you have four columns of three glyphs, the reading order would go as follows, staring with 1: 1 - 2 7 - 8 3 - 4 9 - 10 5 - 6 11 - 12 However, the reading order can also be a vertical line, as Dr. Van Stone wrote here. It can also be written in a horizontal line. In most cases it is read left to right, but there are exceptions where it is written right to left. As someone has already mentioned, you usually can tell the reading order by way of the direction the glyphs are pointing (best done with glyphs that represent e.g. heads of humans and animals). Q: Are the outlines alone enough for reading and figuring out the meaning? A: In most cases, no. Some glyphs are definitely recognizable by their outlinesalone, but many glyphs are very similar in their shape and only with the differences in details - sometimes very small details - can you tell them apart. Q: Did the Maya have a simplified script for daily use? A: To some extent, yes, probably. While it is very difficult (if not impossible) to know how the Maya wrote on a daily basis, we might get an impression if we look at painted glyphs instead of carved ones. Glyphs found on stone monuments such as stelae tend to be the full-blown, highly detailed versions because those were meant to be seen by e.g. visiting elites from other/rival cities. Painted glyphs on the other hand, such as on murals and ceramics and in codices, tend to be less detailed and somewhat cruder in design; likely due to the fact that they were often a lot smaller than those on stone monuments. However, do note that it not only depends on the medium the glyphs were written on, but also on the artist’s hand. Compare for example Egyptian hieroglyphs on stone monuments and those in the Book of the Dead papyruses. With the latter, the glyphs are a bit more simplified than those on stone monuments, but are still recognisable, contrary to the highly abstracted Hieratic script.

[@Ian-nl9yd]

Imagine if this writing system had continued to be developed into modern times.

[@zeromancer-x]

It's called emojii. ;p

[@davidhanos7168]

Ian I wonder about that same thought frequently

[@2mozz]

I also wonder how modern Mayan or Aztec architecture would look like today.

[@chengyanslc]

My Chinese language can use some fellow meaning based writing systems, so that we can say:吾道不孤.

[@natashatercera8536]

WE CAN DO IT!!!!

[@joeyuzwa891]

I taught myself the basics of the grammar of classic Maya as well as how the writing system worked during college (long story short I way over-studied for an archaeology essay). Every time I revisit it I’m reminded just how ingenious it is and how beautiful it is. In my opinion no other language is as beautiful when written, not Mongolian, not Manchu, not Georgian, nor even something like Tamil or Tibetan.

[@craigmason9893]

well what about french latin greek english spanish

[@lamasbelladelmundo]

@@craigmason9893 None of those languages are as beautiful as Mayan. I think he made that very clear and I agree 100%. Also, french is not beautiful not ingenious. Latin and Greek, yes.

[@cindyestrada2009]

my ancestros are The Mayan from Guatemala my mother taught me about how beutiful and genious we are for being Guatemalan Im American but mom never let me forget where i come from

[@r.a4623]

have you heard of Sitelen Sitelen glyphs?

[@almightyswizz]

@@lamasbelladelmundomaybe mayan is beautiful written, Nahuatl sure sounds more satisfying

[@zeromancer-x]

I remember this from my Mayan hieroglyphs course, you're more skilled at the script than any of us were.

[@jemarieraden7427]

vh2k theres a course for that?!

[@daveduvergier3412]

IMO the most distinctive, evocative and beautiful writing system ever devised.

[@spiffjr.1865]

Wow, it's so cool to see the Mayan characters written out by a human hand after centuries of lying dormant and misunderstood. Makes you wonder how the writing would have changed over time had history not played out the way it did. Would there be a modern Maya script that was less ornate, but suited to everyday writing? Can we develop one now? :)

[@LaainAjQeqchi]

+Spiff Jr., THERE IS ONE THAT WAS DEVELOPED BY A GERMAN ARCHEOLOGIST, HE TOOK IN COUNT THE INITIAL OF EACH CHARACTER.

[@aguilaguer2892]

Laa'in Aj Q'eqchi' GIVE LINK PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[@PokeNebula]

I would also like to knwo

[@arturocalderon1043]

The writing in the Codex Dresden Is a simplified versión of this

[@RealUlrichLeland]

Maybe, but not all scripts become simpler with age. Hieroglyphics only became more and more convoluted, and by the Ptolemaic period you had to understand a lot of metaphors and substitutions to be able to read them.

[@Woodlawn22]

The first time I saw the glyphs I was delighted. They were almost cartoonish being so rounded and pleasant to look at. Thanks for your video showing some of the meaning behind the shapes.

[@hingginchu]

In the Video, Mr Stone drew the outlines, pronounced the names and then filled out the details. Are the outlines alone enough for reading and figuring out the meaning?

[@DrWhom]

sometimes

[@citrusblast4372]

I guess you simplify the details even more so the differences for those similar characters are apparent, these characters dont seem to be meant for everyday use, its like if english speakers wrote there words like chaligraphers with all the fancy stuff on the letters

[@topazbutterfly1853]

It is, but the letters look less beautiful.

[@Captain-Waffles]

It's not enough to tell the difference, he just knew what he was writing, so he knew what the symbols were even with just the outlines, but the outlines are normally not enough to translate.

[@namoiostman7729]

I believe it is wise to not limit our understandings of our Ancient ancestors communication techniques. Everytime I am convinced that I figured "it" out, along comes another possibility. It is exciting to see how far we have come reguarding Ancient text and the vast knowledge they learned. We are very blessed to have what was saved from being erased from history. Unfortunately, we are all watching Tremendous efforts to rewrite OUR history. I wonder if we will be around in 500 years? We are 2/3 through the Bible prophecies that describe the end times. Personally, I think it's closer to the end than we know. God is paying attention. Sadly, we are in trouble. Thanks again for the great videos. Dr. Mark Van Stone (perfect name for your profession ) Love it!

[@asianthor]

Funny how archaeologist say no one knew how to read Maya before they started to decipher it themselves, but not true, in many Maya villages in Guatemala many elder folks know how to read Maya glyphs. Archaeologist did not wanted to accept that the local Maya descendants of Guatemala knew more than they did.

[@LindoLanguage]

Could you please name the region where they still read this beautiful writing? If you happen to know. thank you so much.

[@jakemaddox76]

No way.

[@wfcoaker1398]

@@razojacqueline You really don't know how archaeologists relied on modern Maya culture, beliefs, language, and traditions to understand the Classic Maya culture, do you? Far from ignoring it, they engaged with it, learned about it. Sorry to upset your bigotry, but the idea that modern archaeologists are a bunch of "white people" ignoring Maya culture is untrue. Furthermore, many Maya scholars aren't white. You're ignoring reality in favour of a straw man that is more in mine with you anger and bigotry.

[@wfcoaker1398]

@@razojacqueline You think literacy in Maya glyphs was preserved into modern times? Right. No point in continuing this.

[@larrote6467]

@@razojacqueline people tend to confuse the maya people with the maya civilization. And btw white europeans did discover something from their point if view. They didnt know something was there then they realized it was, hence they discovered something for themselves. Bigots like you take these simple things waaay too far and posit them all in a very condescending way. Like you think the mayas and the like are helpless children, or like the INAH doesn't exist.

[@notquality3471]

Imagine students back then have to write their name for ten minutes

[@Coteoki]

Answering the first question alone is going to take up most of the day

[@zaraiwzara]

Writing and reading were specialized skills before the printing press in china and europe, from the more complex writing systems (egyptian hieroglyphs, chinese logograms, maya logo-syllabic writing) to the more simple (hangul, greek and roman alphabets) copying a book collection could take years of your life

[@ThomasRonnberg]

@@zaraiwzara Yes that's the thing. Only in Japan were literacy rates always extremely high. Most of the world really dwelled in obscurity when it came to writing and reading.

[@zaraiwzara]

@@ThomasRonnbergi didn't knew about japan, very good information, but i knew that in tamil kingdoms, most of the population knew how to read and write as well. China was the first place in the world where writing became synonimous of culture and knowledge, so it is not very surprising that countries within the sinosphere always placed value on writing and education.

[@ThomasRonnberg]

@@zaraiwzara Very interesting thank you. Yes, the Japanese for centuries have had highly educated upper classes and middle classes. For example, roughly 95% or more of the sword making artisans in Japan knew how to read and right. Since many centuries, also common to know many dialects of japanese writing. Which strongly explains why the Katana sword was so well developed over the centuries and attained such a high standard of quality so early on in history. European swords in comparison were not often even hardened, and the makers didn't even mark their names on the blades. You see many variations. Jewelers would buy up swords and make them pretty to sell afterwards with their names on it. Jewelers made more money selling swords than sword makers did making swords. Showing that in Europe people have always been very consumer oriented and generally poor at creating quality goods unless the artisans of the product were also monks from monastaries who also knew how to read and right. The Church has always had a lot of power over the people in the west, preventing many technological developments. Where as in Japan the Swordmakers were basically seen as angels or divine intellectual beings placed here by the gods as a gift to the people.

[@missc2742]

Beautiful. It's amazing how you can keep the glyph blocks going perfectly straight down like that. The book you did with Coe was excellent, I must have read it fourteen times.

[@HiroMahtava]

Imagine it still used nowadays , wow AWESOME

[@iltecnicoletterario]

I'm fascinated by the variations that the same glyph can have! So different from our way of printing letters that are all equal

[@JimboJamble]

We have capital and lowercase letters which, while usually similar (V and v), can also be very different (G and g). Some letters also look different in different typefaces, like lowercase a. But you're right, it doesn't compare to the incredible amount of variation in Maya glyphs.

[@Frenchylikeshikes]

This looks so complicated and different to what we are used to. It's beautiful.

[@chrisa5203]

Takes forever to write anything! Imagine what timed essay exams were like for Mayan freshmen! Haha 😂

[@josueitzep4155]

Mu'z ra' tz'ib'anik...bonita forma de escribir(dibujar)...i like the way your hieroglyphics.

[@landro3552]

thats not yucatec is it?

[@jimaanders7527]

The video is quite interesting. The translation of Mayan glyphs is a fascinating story. When scholars get writings from different sites is there a problem with spelling error? (I have enough trouble in English).

[@pipolwes000]

I'm wondering how much of these glyphs was formalized and how much is up to the writer/artist. Like, does the centipede have the same number of legs across inscriptions or is the general shape of each part what really matters? I have some experience with chinese characters and there are a couple where a misplaced stroke can mean "misspelling" a word, are Maya glyphs like that in any cases?

[@Captain-Waffles]

Usually the Maya glyphs are pretty lenient with how you're supposed to draw things, as long as the image looks about the same and the important parts of the image are intact. Like he said in the video, there are a LOT of ways to write "u," as an example. Small variations typically don't turn a glyph into gibberish as long as that variation doesn't turn it into another glyph.

[@mrose8748]

Mayan is beautiful. I wish I knew how to read it.

[@kamion53]

I like the Maya hiëroglyphs so much more then the Egyptian. The Maya's had a enormous variation in writing something down, from simple symbols to complete fullfigured presenttion

[@cheyopimienta]

FANTASTIC is the word to describe this video, Thank you very much for doing this Doctor!! you even translated your last name to the very precise "Tunich"!

[@LegadosCulturales]

I spent weeks researching until I found this. Thank you so much.

[@noniabusiness1732]

Thanks for investing time of your life to keep interesting knowledge alive

[@joshygoldiem_j2799]

Just imagine how much work went into deciphering this script so that we can experience it for ourselves

[@ShturmanBasov18]

I love your explanations and the way you draw! I really enjoyed your book Reading the Maya Glyphs. I also have a question: was the book so short because of constraints from the publisher or was it your decision?

[@pimpompoom93726]

Beautiful characters when written precisely. Were the Maya close to developing a 'layman's alphabet' like Demotic was to Egyptian Hieroglyphics? These characters are elegant, but cumbersome when trying to communicate everyday information. Thanks in advance for any information you can share on my question.

[@JozefLucifugeKorzeniowski]

very illuminating. it makes so much more sense to look at mayan script now. each character is a word composed of an amalgam of sub characters

[@SunMing88]

Hello there. I would like to know what type of pen do you recommend to write Maya Hieroglyphs ? Thanks :)

[@terrydoyle1141]

Thanks for sharing this fascinating bit of lore, history, knowledge with us Doc. Much appreciated. Long live Mayan and their people.

[@markvanstone2012]

@KillMrFist Funny, the Maya have words for these, but rarely use the word by themselves the way that we do. They say "I love you" or "Don't you love chile con carne?" but the word "love" by itself has little meaning. Xibalba, the Maya underworld, means "Place of Fear", but "Xi", "fear", is not something with much meaning out of context. Did you want to design a tattoo or something?

[@landro3552]

I thought Sajk meant fear

[@joshbok8767]

Mark, this is the most relaxing yet educational video I’ve ever seen. You should up load another, have you explored asmr related videos?

[@markvanstone2012]

Thanks for your kind comments....

[@darthyda]

This video went straight over my head, thankyou for sharing!

[@hamandeville]

Fascinating and beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

[@jimmy_jamesjams_a_lot4171]

Ahh! I owned his book, reading the Maya glyphs. My favorite illustration was of this iguana deity I think it was. From that book, i thought it said that the Maya scribes and writers were given a great deal of flexibility where they would be permitted to draw a glyphs basically from their memories. So maybe their teacher drew a Jaguar body while the student maybe drew only the head? But I know that many sites are yielding a seemingly unending stream of hints and suggestions of how it all works, so moving forward we will complete much more of the puzzle. This makes me want to work in this. I’m gonna buy his book again. Thanks for sharing!!

[@scene2much]

Imagine being hungry and beginning to write a grocery list...then expiring before finishing. They must have had prodigious memories for orations. My mind says there had to be a formula for a Mayan shorthand script...though I accept if there wasn't.

[@sky44david]

Just ordered your book. You have a way of making accessible and enjoyable what can be overly academic and hence to distant for the average person with a desire to learn.

[@dylanchouinard6141]

I know this is an old video; but we’re the written hieroglyphics used by the Maya their only alphabet, or did they have a separate alphabet used in everyday writing? Like how the Egyptians has traditional hieroglyphs for religious writing and Demotic for regular writing?

[@Captain-Waffles]

The funny thing about that is we don't know. There is currently no evidence of an extremely simplified form of the writing, and if there was one, all evidence of it was destroyed by the Spaniards. It would be interesting to find such a writing system, though.

[@citrusblast4372]

There are simplified versions found on vases and cups and shit, thats all Ive found. I think some of the writing in the codices was also a simplified version that is found in carvings

[@dylanchouinard6141]

@@citrusblast4372 Hm interesting. I’m just glad those Mayan entrepreneurs didn’t have to fill out a calligraphy set every time they needed to draft up a contract.

[@slapdashsoviet]

"The Spanish are coming! Take down this message to Montezuma!" "k one sec."

[@eruditootidure2611]

Moctezuma was Mexica, not Mayan.

[@tikilove2241]

Brian OConnell hahahaha

[@red88alert]

Brian OConnell Montezuma was Aztec and gave up his buttcheeks to the Spanish. The Maya on the other hand killed conquistadors by the thousands!

[@ishthefish9006]

Brian OConnell dumbass montezuma😂😂😂😂

[@zeromancer-x]

That's because they didn't fight a single pitched battle, but utilized many small sorties against the Spanish.

[@sphinxtheeminx]

Must have taken ages to complete but presumably they would have sorted that, given the chance. Did they write letters (as in Dear Sir, not ABC) or were glyphs used more sparingly?

[@wildgirl4ever]

Yes, very nice of you to share!

[@TlalocChaak]

Thankk Dr. van Stone this video help me so much with mi class of mayan art. I´m Epigrapher to, but I dont know how to teach the technic, thanks.

[@psyxologos]

Love your style, beautiful hieroglyphs, and also enjoyed your book very much.

[@Nancy-tr5fi]

Mayan Culture is the most wonderful to have left such a record of their existence. In Mexico City the Archeological Museum is full of relics of their time in the sun. First time I spent time there I paused for the restroom. I stood in front of the mirror there and saw myself then a series of other images, male, female....it just kept going. There were faces unknown to me. I was NOT ON DRUGS, though I have taken ayahuasca maybe 12 times under the supervision of a medicine man. But I felt at the time it was the power inherent in the tools they used. Also..as an artist, my job is to be an observer where ever I am.

[@rjvision2153]

May I ask how you would write Utz - Siyah - K'in? AKA it is saying "Good Birth Day.​"

[@Captain-Waffles]

I only know Classic Mayan (which is what the hieroglyphs were written in,) but in Classic Mayan "Good Birth Day" would be spelled as u-tzi SIY-ya-la K'IN (uutz siyal k'in,) although if you're wanting to write it in a modern Mayan language, I'd suggest looking up a PDF or two on how the writing system works and deciding for yourself how to spell it because I have no experience in modern Mayan languages. I hope this helped, FAMSI has good resources for this: www.famsi.org/mayawriting/index.html

[@anacdj80]

Mark Van Stone, how do you write coffee? I would like to incorporate it in a design. Thanks!

[@buddyadams4781]

Toki Pona is written in a very simplified glyph system based heavily on Mayan, called Sitelen.

[@LindoLanguage]

I also make demonstrations on Maya Script on my channel. My goal is simply to preserve it and continue its use, whether it be in personal texts, art and most importantly for the descendants of the Maya to have if they desire to do anything with it.

[@cljIippa]

Hello, I want to get a tattoo with my daughter's name that called MAYA, can you help me? Thanks.

[@LaainAjQeqchi]

+Jippa Costin I CAN HELP YOU!

[@allenlazur5785]

Amazing ! so Well Practiced ! Dr. Van Stone !!!!!

[@scottfarmer5108]

Not sure if you will reply to this however I would really like to know how to spell "Mark" and "Mark Tanton" in glyphs. Please please help, thanks!!!

[@LaainAjQeqchi]

+Scott Farmer HELO I'M A MAYA AND I CAN HELP YOU!

[@udlauchstmacshauchny2521]

+Laa'in Aj Q'eqchi' Can you help me with Mayan??

[@LaainAjQeqchi]

sure

[@udlauchstmacshauchny2521]

Laa'in Aj Q'eqchi' How exactly can you write the name "Thanasis" in Mayan?

[@LaainAjQeqchi]

Do you want me to sendi ti to you?

[@nathanieliniguez750]

Anyone know where I can find out how to spell out “almost” or “jaguar paw” in Mayan script? Iykyk

[@bernysay6187]

Does anyone know where I can get my name translated into Mayan hieroglyphs?

[@saeklin]

A Mayan typewriter would be insanely cool to see working.

[@carlosfigueroa790]

Cheers!!! from Central America! Guatemala City!!

[@christopherellis2663]

an interesting approach, syllables, made into words in a manner like hangul puts letters together to form a syllable. Linear is but one option

[@samuelreed2994]

By observing the way those ancient writings were drawn, it makes you wonder if they actually had fountain or felt tip pens in ancient south America.

[@DarkSlayer010]

Was there a shorthand version of this script? Being a scribe and taking notes must have been a crazy job. The ancient Egyptians developed a shorthand script for scribes to jot down nots and dictations. I wonder if the Mayans had a similar system.

[@esterhammerfic]

This guy's linework is so satisfying

[@sky44david]

Beautiful demonstration, will have to get your book.

[@cometmoon]

What would Suzie Okulich be in Mayan? I've tried finding it myself, but I can't seem to find anything to put it together correctly :(

[@LaainAjQeqchi]

Hey, I can help you!

[@cometmoon]

Kevin Sacbà What would it be in Mayan, please?

[@LaainAjQeqchi]

I sent you a private messege! There you have your name in Maya!

[@cristianhernandez9844]

+Kevin Sacbà what would my name be and also the word savage thanks

[@cometmoon]

@Kevin- Not sure what happened to your message, but I never received it.

[@markvanstone2012]

@sky44david Thanks SD! I try... Hope you get something from it. (If you REALLY like it, review it on Amazon!) If you have questions, check out my website at markvanstone (dot) com .

[@ToastbackWhale]

How do we know which glyph corresponded to which sound? Just through local tradition?

[@thunderw96]

I know that there are some glyphs we do not know the sounds for... I would imagine it is through local tradition, yes.

[@christopherellis2663]

月食 the Spaniards did much translation and transliteration,

[@shortribslongbow5312]

Outstanding video, thanks for sharing,

[@iisaka_station]

How do we know the phonetics that correspond to this alphabet?

[@onlyplayaseattacoswiththei9433]

Dr Stone, thank you for the video. I'm an artist, mostly 3D graffiti & abstract art. Did the Mayans, Aztecs or Incas have a form of graffiti? I saw videos were ppl like the "Romans & Egyptians" had a form of graffiti & wondered if they did also.

[@51KEone]

I wanna get " Bloodline Hernandez" as a tattoo. How would it be written?

[@junecontreras6896]

Thank you dr. Vanstone, I will be buying your books 📚 subscribed ✅

[@bertinmaya8320]

All this information is amazing yet overwhelming at the same time, is there a book that you can recommend for someone who is trying to learn about their hieroglyph or if one is trying to make a stencil?

[@missc2742]

Van Stone actually wrote the books in the background. I have quite a few copies of the blue one (my grandmother has unknowingly bought me the same book for Christmas since I was nine) if you want me to send you a copy. If you want to learn the script I can help you out with basic Classical ascension, death, birth, victory, and ownership texts. I don't know about stencils, though :). If you want to learn the script, you also need to learn about the culture, since their art was freakishly stylised, and Linda Schele has really good books on that sort of thing. Also, most texts have a lot to do with special dates and things like that, and Schele and David Stuart have great materiel. In the least offensive way possible, you don't happen to know Yucatec, do you, or know somebody that does?

[@Slolz247]

+Madame Catfish well you certainly seem to know a lot about mayan! XD are you Mexican if u don't mind me asking?

[@missc2742]

WombleKingdom No. A white girl. Been interested in the Maya for a long time.

[@Slolz247]

Madame Catfish haha same here. I fell in love with native American cultures about a year ago and now I just keep trying to learn more.

[@missc2742]

WombleKingdom Plenty of great books out there. I really would recommend the Maya Cosmos by Linda Schele if you want to learn more about Maya religion and worldview. It also really helped me to get familiar with how the maya saw things, since their art is so stylized sometimes that it's hard to tell whats going on. If you haven't read it already, I think anybody that likes things maya would get a kick out of it, so it's worth trying out.

[@ch1no7]

i want the names of my kids tattooed in maya....can you help me out?

[@LaainAjQeqchi]

+CHINO DIAZ HEY THERE I CAN HELP YOU. I'M A MAYA.

[@ch1no7]

Kevin Sacbà how would i right my kids names

[@LaainAjQeqchi]

What are their names?

[@ch1no7]

+Kevin Sacbà Can i get ahold of you through facebook?

[@LaainAjQeqchi]

sure

[@FunkMobbMack]

Mayan art is very trippy to look at when stoned. So complex detailed stylized and sometimes bizarre. Elegant and enigmatic.

[@NoName-hd5km]

Outstanding.

[@iyarbanyashshakar5016]

did u write the book the Aztec new perspective

[@matmase8005]

Fascinatingly beautiful.

[@F_o_f_o]

I would like if someone have some link to get alphabet maya ..my dream is tatto my name in maya and aztec

[@aprilbehnke9611]

GORGEOUS.

[@qetoun]

I wonder if there was a Mayan cursive for quicker, more mundane usage?

[@markvanstone2012]

@xINDIANx Sorry, it failed to fill this year; It'll be offered again next spring. Hope to see you!

[@markvanstone2012]

Thanks, Bill... Will do, in my voluminous spare time!

[@marcnezahualcoyotl4232]

La escritura Maya es hermosa y muy compleja!

[@sarahwright2999]

why are you writing in 1 line down and not in a double line?

[@cheezhat]

Idk if anyone cares but I was looking at Mayan hieroglyphs the other day and noticed something like some of the hieroglyphs actually looked like the people near the heiroglyphs like as if it was a conversation and it declared who was talking by showing the dots or marks on the person's body in conjunction with the dialect, so you got a idea who was saying what while you were reading it gave you glimpses of patterns and or dots even a small piece of their face so that they were associated with that specific text like how I could say "blah blah blah" said nick. The heiroglyphs where there and it would somehow add my avatar to the phrase. Hopefully someone understood this. It was on the Dresden codex? With the different priests sitting down side profiles, I think it was a story.

[@MrPHBOY]

the structure of this feels like korean with those syllable blocks. i was thinking it would read like chinese.

[@UmCara_Qualquer]

Wonderful.

[@saanvisrivastava3575]

This is sooo satisfying

[@parisan9985]

They need to simplify it, if we want to make it practical for normal people to write. Was it only used for nobilities and upper classes when the Mayans we're still around?

[@joshbok8767]

Can you please upload another video like this.

[@bekabuchashvili]

but Mayan languages do not have aspirated sounds, right?

[@26blanco]

wonderful.the image of video great and the picture.thanks

[@adukaputra3223]

The most impressive written language i had ever laid my eyes upon..sublime

[@seanliu5128]

Sir, if mayans use 360 days to count years, end of next year 2019 is 2048 in Mayan years. I believe 2048 is what people were talking about when they said 2012.

[@markvanstone2012]

@EruveoMac Start with "Reading the Maya Glyphs" by Michael Coe and myself. It's There are also two books by John Montgomery, a "Dictionary of Maya Hieroglyphs and "How to Read Maya Hieroglyphs". Finally there is "Understanding Maya Inscriptions: A Hieroglyph Handbook" by John F. Harris. The bibliographies in these books will lead you to more specific texts. Note these are all for *Reading*... As for *writing* glyphs, just start practicing. Send experts like me your efforts.

[@ilikeceral3]

Had there been any attempt to simplify the glyphs further? Only the Inuit and the Cherokee have unique writing systems and itd be a shame to not use it for the language.

[@asaenvolk]

Reminds me a bit of how Korean is written, but with pictographs

[@matthewnightingale2293]

HOW would you write the word WEYMOUTH???,

[@austinfernando8406]

what would a cursive version of maya script look like?

[@LaainAjQeqchi]

+austin fernando IT IS THICK , AND SOMETIMES WITH LITTLE DETAILS.