Mayan Writing and Hieroglyphs
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Mayan writing combined word signs and syllable signs. A word could be written with a picture, with sounds or with both. Scholars can now read most surviving texts. At Chichen Itza, inscriptions survive on lintels and panels at Akab Dzib, Las Monjas and the Casa Colorada, mostly in the southern part of the site.
Last checked: . Many carvings are small or weathered; view them from the paths.
For help planning your visit, see the overview of Chichen Itza history.
Last updated 2026-11-12 · By the local guide team at Maya Explorer Tours
How does Mayan writing work?
Mayan writing uses several hundred signs. Logograms stand for whole words, such as balam (jaguar). Syllabic signs spell sounds. Signs are grouped into square glyph blocks, read in pairs of columns from left to right and top to bottom.
What do Maya symbols mean?
Maya symbols, or glyphs, stand for words, syllables, numbers and dates, not just pictures. A sign can show a whole word, such as balam (jaguar), or spell a sound. Together they record the names of rulers and places, dates and events. Scholars can now read most signs, though some meanings remain uncertain.
What is the Maya script called?
The Maya script is usually called Maya hieroglyphic writing, or Maya glyphs. The name covers the word signs and syllable signs that Maya scribes carved and painted.
How were Maya glyphs deciphered?
Maya glyphs were deciphered in stages. Number and calendar signs were understood in the 1800s. In the 1950s, Yuri Knorozov showed that the script was partly phonetic. Work from the 1970s onward made it possible to read names, dates and events. Only four Maya books, called codices, survive.
Where can you see inscriptions at Chichen Itza?
You can see inscriptions mainly in the southern part of Chichen Itza. Many are small or weathered, so look closely at doorways, lintels and wall bands.
- Akab Dzib, named 'dark writing' after its carved doorway text
- Lintels in Las Monjas
- The glyph band in the Casa Colorada
- Dated inscriptions on the Temple of the Initial Series in the southern area
How do Maya numbers work?
Maya numbers count in base 20. A dot stands for one, a bar for five and a shell for zero. The same system underlies their Maya calendar dates.
What does Maya writing record?
Maya writing records names, dates and events. At Chichen Itza, a lintel at the Initial Series Temple records a Long Count date equal to July 30, 878 CE.
What else do visitors ask about Maya glyphs?
Can scholars read Mayan glyphs today?
Scholars can read most known Maya texts today, though some signs remain uncertain. Decipherment moved in stages, from number and calendar signs in the 1800s to phonetic readings after the 1950s. Names, dates and events can now be read on many carved and painted texts.
Did the Maya have an alphabet?
The Maya did not have an alphabet in the modern sense. Their script mixed word signs with signs for syllables. In the 1560s, the Spanish friar Diego de Landa wrote down what he called a Maya alphabet. Scholars later showed that his list matched syllables, not letters, and it helped them read the script.
Are the inscriptions at Chichen Itza easy to see?
Many inscriptions at Chichen Itza are small, weathered or inside closed rooms. Look at the lintels in Las Monjas, the carved doorway at Akab Dzib and the glyph band in the Casa Colorada. A guide helps you find the visible ones from the paths without entering closed areas.