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RESOURCE: The problems of telling Maya glyphs apart

31st Aug 2017

RESOURCE: The problems of telling Maya glyphs apart

Trio of very similar looking Maya glyphs

Just when you thought you were getting the hang of identifying Maya glyphs, check this little trio out! Their close similarity is the result of what scholars call ‘sign convergence’. All Maya signs, according to world experts Stone and Zender, ‘were ultimately derived from pictorial art’. These three signs all follow the same basic ‘template’, one that seems to be based on objects covered in jaguar skin. But they actually depict three very different things... (Compiled/written by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore)

Each glyph shows spotted jaguar pelt, with little curvy edges (called ‘scallops’) to try to show how the fresh jaguar hide looks when stretched. The only way to tell the difference between the three is by the use of individual symbols: for the drum at the top it’s the T-shaped ik’ sign meaning sound, wind, music, voice; in the cushion throne it’s a (similar looking) dimple; for the book it’s the series of lines representing pages (notice the back cover is made of jaguar skin too). We show the Maya book glyph in schools and ask children to guess what it represents. The answers might amuse you (follow the link below to read them)...!

Info and picture source:-
• Reading Maya Art by Andrea Stone and Marc Zender, Thames & Hudson, London, 2011.

Guessing the Maya book glyph...

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RESOURCE: The problems of telling Maya glyphs apart

Trio of very similar looking Maya glyphs

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