Dawkins,

The Mayan written language, or “script” as it is know is logosyllabic, or based on symbols. It combines about 550 logograms (which represent whole words) and 150 syllabograms (which represent syllables). There are also about 100 glyphs that represent place names and the names of gods. About 300 of these glyphs were commonly used. It was usually written in paired vertical columns reading from left to right and top to bottom in a zigzag pattern. Up until the 1950’s, scholars were uncertain if the heiroglyphs they were seeing on buldings, bark, jade statues, wood, and the four surviving codecs was actually a language. During the 1950’s, Russian ethnologist Yuri Valentinovich Knorosov proposed that the symbols partially represented phonetic progression and insisted that it represented a written language. While not widely accepted at the time, progress in the decipherment has been made since the 70’s and 80’s and he has eventually been proven correct. It is known that the Mayans recorded many accounts on folded books made from bark coated with white gesso, known as codec’s. Unfortunately, the Spanish destroyed many of these during their conquest of Central America in the 16th century and today, only four are known to have survived. This poses a problem as the entire language system has yet to be deciphered, as there are still glyphs that are unknown. Another problem is due to the fact that as the vegetation is pulled from Mayan ruins to reveal them, given the nature of limestone’s reaction to water (humid environment), any new glyphs are quickly eroded away and lost.

How cool is this?

Sorry to say the second Mrs. Dawkins ancestors destroyed our understanding.

Don't tell her though.

Having dated and married in the Latin community, I can clearly say skin pigmentation is still an order of hierarchy. Sad to say but true.

Ok, Dawkins, what nationality have you been dating? That just sounds ludacris. My fiance is Mexican and I have associated with mainly Latinos for roughly the past 6 years and have never heard a whisper of I'm better because I am darker/lighter. Sad thought though. Both of our Italian/Mexican children are fair, light eyed and have medium brown hair. God only knows how, but at least our family loves them. To hell with society.

Anywho, anybody here ever been to Palenke (unsure of the spelling) also in the Yucatan peninsula. I went for the last time when I was 11. Beautiful

I dated among the Mex/Guero community. Blonde, blue-eyed children were favored. In my experience.

There are many things that still need to be answered about the civilizations of S. America. The very fact that they were able to build such complex structures from stones weighing 400 or 500 tons, and do so in such a way as to be able to fit them together like puzzle pieces….well, shoot. It's simply unbelievable that the entire archaeological world isn't down there studying the different areas. To heck with Egypt!

Gryphonfire, You are too right about this! I'll preface this by saying I would never dis' Egypt, because it is what began my initial interest in art history, but South America is truly a neglected area of study. When I was working on my MA, I wrote a research paper on a 8-10th century Huari (Peru) featherwork panel: (had to remove image because of copyright). It was a rectangular panel covered in blue and yello macaw feathers. In toto, there were 96 panels of varying sizes. Discovered in 1943 in the Churunga Valley on the far southern coast of Peru, they were buried in 8 large portrait jars. South American specialists still don't know (or at least didn't when I was writing) enormous amounts about the Huari culture, so their function is highly speculative. I speculated (with the help of previous research) that they served some type of ritual function, especially since they were buried and so well cared for. They were also found with silver objects that are guessed to be Incan, so there's also thoughts about their relation to the Incans as well. In any case, when I was conducting research, I was absolutely fascinated (and still am!). In any case, S. America is abundant in cultures that desperately need more research!