Reading the Maya Glyphs, Second Edition

The breaking of the Maya code has completely changed our knowledge of this ancient civilization, and has revealed the Maya people's long and vivid history.

Decipherment of Maya hieroglyphic writing has progressed to the point where most Maya written texts―whether inscribed on monuments, written in the codices, or painted or incised on ceramics―can now be read with confidence.

In this practical guide, first published in 2001, Michael D. Coe, the noted Mayanist, and Mark Van Stone, an accomplished calligrapher, have made the difficult, often mysterious script accessible to the nonspecialist. They decipher real Maya texts, and the transcriptions include a picture of the glyph, the pronunciation, the Maya words in Roman type, and the translation into English. For the second edition, the authors have taken the latest research and breakthroughs into account, adding glyphs, updating captions, and reinterpreting or expanding upon earlier decipherments.

After an introductory discussion of Maya culture and history and the nature of the Maya script, the authors introduce the glyphs in a series of chapters that elaborate on topics such as the intricate calendar, warfare, royal lives and rituals, politics, dynastic names, ceramics, relationships, and the supernatural world. The book includes illustrations of historic texts, a syllabary, a lexicon, and translation exercises. Illustrated in two colors throughout

Michael D. Coe (1929–2019) was professor emeritus of anthropology at Yale University and curator emeritus for the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University. His books include The Maya, Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs, and Breaking the Maya Code.

Mark Van Stone trained as a type designer, stone carver, and art historian, and is the leading interpreter of Maya calligraphic art.