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 Introduction to the Corpus (Peabody / Harvard) – A guide to the Corpus project, its history, editorial conventions, and publication structure. Useful for understanding how the documentation was produced. Link About the Maya Corpus (Peabody / Harvard) – A short overview of the Corpus project and Ian Graham’s role in documenting Maya 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 Copán, Stela A (example record from the Bonn archive) – An example item from the Bonn / ClassicMayan archive showing the type of material available, including metadata, image access, and structured inscription documentation. 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. [https://research.famsi.org/montgomery_list.php?nu=&rowstart=30&search=Tikal

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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