The quest to decipher Maya hieroglyphs began with the very Spanish invaders whose hegemonic rule did so much to wipe out the ancient Maya script. Among them was the conquistador Hernando Cortes ...

When, in the 1960s, the hieroglyphs—the most sophisticated writing system created in the New World—were at last beginning to be deciphered, a new picture of these people emerged. Mayan art and ...

No one studying Maya hieroglyphs would get very far without being able to read the 19 numbers that form the base of their numbering system. Can you figure out their numbering system?

Archaeologists Unearth an Intricately Carved Circular Stone Used as a Scorecard for a Ball Game 1200 Years Ago Researchers have uncovered many insights about various games played in the past. Ancient ...

The altar reveals the presence of powerful rulers from Teotihuacan who were there at a time when a coup ousted Tikal’s Maya ...

An ancient Mayan altar in Tikal, a 2,400-year-old city in Guatemala, evidences a quasi-imperial control system before the ...

Temple VI lays claim to the most extensive hieroglyphics in the Mayan world, narrating the city's dynastic history. When asked to choose one word to describe Tikal, David Stuart, a professor in ...

The city of Copán is home to some of the most artistically complex stelas created by ancient Maya people. These objects bear intricate high- and low-relief carvings that span their entire surfaces.

"The Mayan calendar," said Dr. Spinden ... From these observations, which were recorded daily in hieroglyphics, they computed eclipses, and other astronomical data." As Dr. Spinden explained ...