Among The Oldest Maya Glyphs

By
Clifford C. Richey

Illustrations by
Cristina V. Richey

June 2009

Revised 06-16-09
 Illustration 1: The Glyph

This Maya glyph, among others, was written up in an article in the New York Times that stated that a
column of glyphs found in northeastern Guatemala was clear evidence that the Maya were writing
more than 2,300 years ago. It was generally agreed that the “writing by contemporary groups in
Mesoamerica was one of just four scripts - Sumerian, Egyptian and Chinese are the others - to be
invented independent of outside influences.” 1But as we have seen in other, previous, papers, this does
not appear to be correct. The writing was not independently developed by the Maya as the same or
similar writing system was used throughout North and South America. It is possible that the system is
very ancient and may have come with the various tribes as they migrated to the Americas. This glyph is
no different than the myriad of others and its message content is along a similar theme as others that we
have translated.

Illustration 2: The Fledgling

The Initial Form is a Rectangle meaning a place. The Secondary Form is that of a young Bird, as noted
by its overly large Feet, and this indicates a fledgling, a young bird not yet mature enough to fly.

The Place
of

1 Wilford, John Noble, Symbols on the Wall Push Maya Writing Back by Years. New York Times, January 10, 2006
 The Fledgling

Illustration 3: Color Coded View

We now move on to the imagery internal to the Fledgling Form. Our eyes immediately go to the most
obvious of the imagery that of a paint Brush that is on an angle relative to the rest of the composition.

The Brush
The One that Draws
The Line

The Brush just touches the line above the composition. The angle of the Brush is its Stance and a Right
Slanting object is the sign for waiting. The Tip of the Brush is Darkened and Rectangular meaning a
dark-place. The curved line drawn by the Brush may be the sign for covered. The Handle of the Brush
is a narrowing place sign pointing downward (in the distance). Within the Handle are the signs for
turning and below.(pink)

Covered,
Waiting
in a
Dark Place
a
Distant Place
Turning Below

To the Left of the Brush imagery is a rather pointed Face (orange color). The Face also follows the
Stance of the Brush, that of waiting. The Face imagery means his face, his appearance. The Eye is a
Finger pointing downward to a spot (meaning here). There appears to be a Short Line touching the
Brush Handle meaning waiting-on-the-side (of the earth). There is a small Bump on the Face's Head
just above the Ear representing, at least partly, a location sign. The Ear is the Rectangular sign for
place with the inverted “V” shaped opening sign at the bottom. The entire Profile of the Face is the sign
for a half but in this case, due to its orientation, means a side-half. Near the bottom of the Brush Handle
there is the sign for earth-female and the downward facing “V” sign meaning held-down (blue) (a
compounding of the two signs).

His Face
His Appearance
Here
on
The Side
Waiting
Held Down
on the Side
of the
Earth-Female

We now turn our attention to the imagery of a Fox (red). The Fox is the Associational Imagery for
something that is wondrous or very clever. This imagery is a rather complex compounding of several
individual signs. The Left Ear and the Eye show a Curved place sign and a locational sign. Thus the
turning-place-location. The Narrow Snout that differentiates the Fox from a Dog is a narrow place sign
with the slant incorporated into it. This would mean a waiting-place. Next is a Large Square that
signifies a house or an abode. Attached to the house sign is an unknown sign. But the entire Form of
the Snout, Square, and unknown sign create the imagery of a Sitting Bird with a long tail. The Right
Ear may be a Bird's Head and if so the compound signs would read, waiting for flight. The place, the
house of flight.

The Fox
The Clever One
His
Location
The Turning Place
The Sitting Bird
Awaiting Flight

As if the above Fox imagery was not complex enough we see that the imagery is a case of Dual
Imagery. From a different perspective the Ears of the Fox become a Mouth while the Long Snout and
Eye become the Ear and Eye. The Lower Portion becomes the Neck. We now see the imagery of the
Fox looking upward. The Mouth (a source of moisture such as a water hole or a spring)
actually opens to the Space in the glyph that is the Eye of the Secondary Form of the Fledgling. The
Dark line of the glyph here forms the “V” sign for an opening.

The Fox
The Clever One
Looking Upwards
to the
Opening
The Mouth,
The Spring
Between the Fox imagery and the Brush Tip is the Vertical Half sign again meaning on the side of the
earth-female.
The Brush,
The One
Who Draws the Line
(The Scribe)
on
The Side

Below the Fox is another sign (green). The outer Form of this sign means a side-place (the slant on the
left side of the rectangle). The green area seems to be a compound between a vertical place sign and a
stylized Hand (Servant or Assistant) sign. This sign, sometimes with subtle differences, is found in
many glyphs but the context is rather elusive. For now we will settle for the above meaning. Below we
find a dark turning-place sign and an image of a Dark Foot meaning the dark-walk or journey in the
darkness.
On the Side
a
Vertical Place
of
The Hand,
The Servant

The Dark
Turning-Place
Below

The Journey
in
The Darkness

At the top of the glyph we find a rather scrawny Bird meaning flight. The Bird's Right Leg stems from
the opening sign made from the Fox's Mouth (a spring). The Left Leg is resting on a dark rectangle
meaning a dark-place. The Long neck stretches out and the Head points downward to an opening sign
at the base of the Ear of the Human like Face. Although not clear in the illustration the head in the
actual glyph is in the form of a closed Hand with the index finger pointing downward.

The Flight
from
The Dark Place
The Mouth,
The Spring
The Hand,
The Servant
The Opening
Below
Although we must make allowances for a few signs that are not entirely clear to us we have found a
nearly complete poem or song about a Maya Scribe's afterlife ...and the Maya Scribes were very clever
as they themselves so state.