World Report: January 27, 2006 Vol. 11 Iss. 16
- This Issue:
- Table of Contents
- Cover Story
- Cover Story - Spanish Version
- Mini-Lesson
- Comprehension Quiz
- Teacher's Guide and Worksheets
A Lasting Message
Scientists exploring the ruins of an ancient city called San Bartolo, in Guatemala, stumbled upon a mysterious message. The 10 symbols written one on top of the other may reveal a remarkable secret about the Mayan people--they were writing centuries earlier than scientists thought.
The Maya were native people of Mesoamerica, an ancient region of Mexico and parts of Central America. Their civilization flourished from about 300 A.D. to 900 A.D. The Maya built large cities and traded goods with people of other cultures. They created artwork and a writing system, made up of drawings called hieroglyphs (hie-ruh-glifs), which stand for sounds and words.
The recent discovery at San Bartolo, which was reported in the journal Science this month, may rewrite what scientists know about the Maya and the history of writing. The ruins are believed to be 2,300 years old. Researchers had thought the Maya didn't begin writing until at least 300 years later. "Now we know they participated in the invention of writing in Mesoamerica," Maya expert David Freidel told TFK.
The meaning of the text is unclear. All but one of the symbols are different enough from known Mayan glyphs that scientists can't read them--yet. This early writing could "open the window on when the Maya invented their civilization," says Freidel. "That would be truly wonderful."
