There were two
systems of writing used in Mesoamerica. The first system, used in the Central
Plateau area of Mexico, utilized symbols displayed within a large mural to give
exact meaning to a certain element, such as the name of a place, the name of a
leader or a date. This only allowed the artist to display the most basic
information, and was used when whole sentences or thoughts did not need to be
communicated. To completely understand the entire meaning of a display, one has
to understand the relationships between the symbols and have a basic
understanding of the story it shows. This is why it is believed that the
writings were only an aid to an oral tradition which would have been taught to
young nobility in schools. The writings in this system are used for religious
and historical writings.
The symbols themselves are logographic, which means that they did not require you to speak the language of the author to interpret them. The symbols were basic pictograms that could be used to display a complete name, by putting the words of the pictures together. For example, if the symbol of a Jaguar and a temple were shown together, it represented the name Jaguar Temple or Temple of the Jaguar. Rulers, cities, gods and numbers all had their own symbols which could all be used in various combinations. The first uses of this system appear with the Olmec culture and are carried on by many succeeding cultures from central Mexico, including the Mixtecs, Toltecs, and Aztecs.
Mayan HieroglyphsMayan writing, the second system in Mesoamerica, is very complex and complete, using many different hieroglyphic symbols to represent any sort of information they wished, including complete texts, without any oral explanation necessary. The Mayan system used symbols or glyphs in various ways. Some resemble Egyptian hieroglyphs, providing translation into syllable sounds, which could be put together to create words. Others are pictograms, like the first Mesoamerican writing system described above, where pictures are used to represent names and places. Other glyphs represented ideas, not direct translations to the subject they portray (i.e. display a sun to show warmth). A group of 20 head glyphs was used to represent numbers, another series represents deities and yet others represent the days.
Mayan language is tied closely to their art. Glyphs are read from left to right and top to bottom and present a picture. Unfortunately, the writing is very specific and one needs to have an initial understanding of the language it represents. There are many local variances of symbols and the writing changed over time as the system developed. A single glyph can carry multiple meanings, depending on context and location within the whole picture being presented. Over 800 separate Mayan glyphs have been identified to date, and because of the overall complexity of the system, only a fraction have been translated, with the exception of astronomical and numerical symbols, which have been understood for a long time. Mayan linguists are still working on a translation, including a coordinated network presenting their discoveries over the internet.
It is generally believed that the Inca Empire developed no form of writing at all, relying exclusively on the transmission of information passed on, person to person, and through a network of messengers who memorized messages and ran on foot from village to village to deliver them. William Burns Glynn believes that Inca writing did exist, and examples of it can be seen sewn into their textiles (as shown above.) He has made some basic translations using this idea, but experts of linguistics are skeptical of his work.
Adams, Richard E. Prehistoric Mesoamerica. Little, Brown, and Co. 1977.
Lehrer, Eli. Legacy of the Incas. Cornell Science & Technology Magazine, 1997 http://www.englib.cornell.edu/SciTech/s97/inca.html
Townsend, Richard F. The Aztecs. Thames and Hudson 1992.
Wenke, Robert J. Patterns in Prehistory. Oxford University Press 1980.