Resources

Maya epigraphy and inscription resources

Broad inscription corpora and research portals

Maya Hieroglyphic Text and Image Archive (Bonn / ClassicMayan) – A modern archive of Maya inscriptions with faceted search, photos, drawings, metadata, and ongoing transcription and translation work. One of the best broad inscription archives, although many entries are still incomplete. Link

ClassicMayan Portal – A major modern research portal for Maya writing and epigraphy. It includes the inscription archive, image archive, bibliography, archaeological site resources, museums, calendar tools, 3D artefacts, and a sign catalog. Link

Corpus of Maya Hieroglyphic Inscriptions (Peabody / Harvard) – The classic Ian Graham-led documentation project. One of the most important scholarly resources for Maya epigraphy, with photographs and detailed line drawings of monuments and inscriptions. Link

Ian Graham archives / CMHI negatives (Peabody Collections) – A collection record for Ian Graham’s Corpus materials, including field notes, drawings, photographs, and negatives. Useful as a pointer to the archival material behind many Corpus publications. Link

FAMSI main database portal – The main entry point for several important Maya-related databases, including Schele materials, MayaVase, Montgomery drawings, Tikal Digital Access, and other research tools. Link

Translation-focused resources

Maya Codices – A translation-focused resource with searchable translations and analysis of four Maya codices. Very useful if the priority is to read translated Maya texts, although it focuses on codices rather than a broad monument corpus. Link

The Hieroglyphic Inscriptions of Southern Belize – A downloadable PDF study of inscriptions from southern Belize. Especially useful because it analyzes each text on a glyph-by-glyph basis with transliteration and translation. Link

Some Working Notes on the Text of Tikal Stela 31 – A Mesoweb PDF focused on the reading and interpretation of Tikal Stela 31. A good example of a translation-oriented study of a single inscription. Link

Drawing and image archives

Schele Drawing Collection (Ancient Americas / LACMA) – The main online home for the Linda Schele drawings. A large digital archive of drawings, including monument drawings, glyph studies, rollout drawings, and site plans. Link

Ancient Americas at LACMA – A broader portal for high-resolution drawings, photographs, and digital collections from the ancient Americas. Useful as a general entry point beyond the Schele archive itself. Link

FAMSI Schele Drawings Search Page – The older FAMSI gateway for the Schele drawings. Still useful as a search page and points users to the updated collection at AncientAmericas.org. Link

Schele Photo Collection (FAMSI) – A searchable photographic archive associated with Linda Schele, useful alongside the drawing collection when looking for visual documentation of monuments, objects, and sites. Link

Montgomery Drawings Collection (FAMSI) – A searchable collection of John Montgomery’s drawings of Maya inscriptions, often with brief comments explaining the content of the text. Link

Tikal Digital Access Project (FAMSI) – A searchable image archive for Tikal with monument, inscription, and excavation photography. Very useful for site-specific visual documentation. Link

MayaVase / Justin Kerr Database – A major resource for painted ceramic texts, especially rollout photographs of Maya vessels. Some entries include links to translations of the texts and to scholarly essays explaining the inscriptions and iconography. Main site Database Articles

Site studies, journals, and downloadable publications

Mesoweb – One of the most important Maya research websites online. It hosts site studies, epigraphic papers, reference PDFs, and many classic publications useful for inscriptions, iconography, and decipherment. Link

PARI Online Publications – The online publication portal for the Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute. It includes many downloadable epigraphic studies, translations, and back issues of The PARI Journal. Link

Sign catalogs, dictionaries, and reference tools

Digital Catalog of Maya Hieroglyphs (ClassicMayan) – A resource focused on the digital cataloging and classification of Maya signs. Especially useful for sign forms and script analysis. Link

Maya Hieroglyph Dictionary (FAMSI) – A searchable dictionary by Peter Mathews and Péter Bíró, with drawings by John Montgomery. Useful for looking up words, spellings, and hieroglyphic readings. Link

Classic Maya Vocabulary of Hieroglyphic Readings – A PDF reference work useful alongside inscription corpora. It gives Classic Maya terms with English translations, hieroglyphic spellings, and transliterations. Link

Beginner's Visual Catalog of Maya Hieroglyphs – A practical visual catalog intended for beginners and intermediate students of the script, useful for identifying common signs and variants. Link

Learning and study guides

Hieroglyphic Decipherment Guide – A practical guide for understanding Maya glyphs, transliteration conventions, and literal translations. Not a corpus, but very useful when working with inscription resources. Link

Maya Writing: Maya Hieroglyphics Study Guide – A structured study guide with illustrations and decipherments of many words used in Classic Maya inscriptions. Useful as a learning tool alongside the primary archives. Link

Introduction to Maya Hieroglyphs – A substantial introduction to Maya hieroglyphic writing and epigraphic method. Good for orientation before diving into the larger archives. Link

Online museum collections of Maya artefacts

Museums with direct collection portals or filtered browse pages

• Museo Amparo – Museum collection portal with a dedicated Cultura Maya tag page and individual object records. Useful because it also connects many pieces to talks, essays, and digital publications. Link

• British Museum: Maya collection search – Filtered search page for Maya material in the British Museum collection. Useful for browsing objects by culture/period and findspot. Link

• The Walters Art Museum: Artwork by Maya – Browse page for works attributed to Maya makers in the Walters online collection. Individual object pages include images, object data, and often downloadable files. Link

• Penn Museum Online Collections – Searchable digital collections portal with object records, images, highlights, videos, and bibliography. Especially useful for Maya material from sites such as Piedras Negras, Tikal, Caracol, and Chama. Link

• Harvard Peabody Museum Collections Online – Large collections database connected to the Peabody Museum. Useful for exploring Maya objects, casts, expedition materials, and other collection records, although the interface may require JavaScript. Link

• Denver Art Museum: Arts of the Ancient Americas – Collection overview page for the museum’s Ancient Americas holdings. The Maya material is noted as a particular strength, especially stone reliefs and ceramics. Link

• Cleveland Museum of Art: Indigenous Art of the Americas – Collection overview page for the museum’s Indigenous American holdings. Especially strong in Classic Maya works in stone, ceramic, and shell. Link

Representative public object records from major museums with strong Maya holdings

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art (example Maya object record) – Public collection record from the Met’s online collection. A useful entry point for the museum’s Maya ceramics, jade, relief sculpture, and other works in the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. Link

• Los Angeles County Museum of Art / LACMA (example Maya object record) – Public collection record from LACMA’s online collections. Useful as an entry point into one of the stronger museum collections of Maya painted ceramics and related Ancient Americas material. Link

• Brooklyn Museum (example Maya object record) – Public collection record from the Brooklyn Museum’s online collection. A useful entry point into the museum’s Maya holdings in jade, stone, and other media. Link

Useful museum highlights and related collection pages

• Penn Museum: Stela 14 highlight page – Highlight page for one of the Penn Museum’s best-known Maya monuments from Piedras Negras. Useful as a museum-written introduction to the collection and its historical importance. Link

• Penn Museum: Stela 14 full object record – Full object page with images, details, and bibliography for Piedras Negras Stela 14. Link

• Museo Amparo: Figurilla de mujer maya – Example object record from the Museo Amparo Maya holdings. Useful for seeing the level of catalog detail on individual pieces. Link

• The Walters Art Museum: Maya Polychrome Lidded Urn with Seated Figure – Example object record from the Walters Maya holdings, with image download and catalog information. Link

• Denver Art Museum: Effigy Drum Vessel with Hieroglyphic Inscription – Example object record from the Denver Maya collection, useful because it includes a substantial discussion of the hieroglyphic text. Link

YouTube channels related to Maya culture

Dedicated or strongly Maya-focused channels

• Dr Diane Davies – Channel by a Maya archaeologist, with videos on the Maya, archaeology, and the rainforest. Link

• Living Maya: Language & Culture – Channel focused on living Maya language and culture, especially Ch'ol Maya, with lessons, legends, greetings, and community-life videos. Link

• Hidden Maya World – Documentary-style channel focused on Maya history, science, engineering, astronomy, and major sites such as Tikal. Link

• Belize Q'eqchi Maya Culture – Channel with videos on Q'eqchi' Maya cultural practices, music, dance, festivals, and community life in Belize. Link

Broader channels with strong Maya coverage

• Maya Living Legacy – Lecture-series channel with recordings related to Maya heritage, history, and contemporary Maya life. Link

• Museo Popol Vuh – Official channel of the Museo Popol Vuh, with lectures, museum content, and materials related to Maya archaeology and the history of Guatemala. Link

• Arqueología Guatemalteca – Channel focused on Guatemalan archaeology, with many videos on Maya sites such as Yaxhá, Piedras Negras, Aguateca, Cancuén, and Tikal. Link

• Ancient Americas – A broader channel on the ancient Americas, but with strong Maya coverage, including videos on Maya script, the Popol Vuh, the Classic period, and the Maya collapse. Link