Maya Hieroglyphs: Did you mean...?

Weathered and broken stele in the Grand Plaza of the Maya city of Chacchoben, Mexico, c. 700 CE. It rests at the foot of the stairs leading up to the Gran Basamento plateau where religious rituals were held...

An obsidian flake from Tikal, Guatemala which has been incised with a representation of a Maya god. Height: 9 cm / 3.5 in. 250-900 CE. (British Museum, London)

Image of the Maya Devi Temple and Holy Pond in Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha. The area of the temple covers the exact spot where Siddhartha Gautama was born, which is indicated by the marker stone. The...

A detail of a mural showing Juan de Grijalva (1489-1527), the Spanish conquistador who explored the coast of Mexico in 1518, meeting a Maya chief on the Tabasco coast.

Writing is the physical manifestation of a spoken language. It is thought that human beings developed language circa 35,000 BCE as evidenced by cave paintings from the period of the Cro-Magnon Man...

Calakmul, an important Maya site set deep in the tropical forest of the Tierras Bajas of southern Mexico, played a key role in the history of this region for more than twelve centuries. Its imposing...

Discovered in 1570 by Diego García de Palacio, the ruins of Copán, one of the most important sites of the Mayan civilization, were not excavated until the 19th century. The ruined citadel and imposing public squares...

Archaeologists and National Geographic grantees George and David Stuart offer keen insights into the art and culture of the Mayans.

Pedro de Alvarado (c. 1485-1541) was a Spanish conquistador who became the first governor of Guatemala in 1527. Living an extraordinary life of adventure, Alvarado participated in separate expeditions to Mexico, Central America...

Learn the basics for how to read ancient Maya, and learn to read the glyph for chocolate: cacao!