As a brief history, the Mayan civilization extended from the Yucatan Peninsula down through southern Mexico and into parts of Guatemala. Most cities of the empire reached their height around 250 AD to 900 AD. In the early to mid 16th. century, Spanish conquistadors arrived at the Yucatan and destroyed almost all of the native cities, including a great deal of books. Only four known books actually survived the conquest. It is for this reason that any relics or remains, particularly those containing glyphs, are considered extremely valuable. The Mayan civilization collapsed, and with that went much of the knowledge of Mayan culture. There are still Maya today who speak the language and are familiar with certain customs and life styles, however, most of this has been lost through centuries of intense Western influence and imperialism.
In general, this movie revolves around the work of the some of the first pioneers in deciphering Mayan hieroglyphs. The documentary begins the history with the work of 20th century English archeologist Sir John Eric Sydney Thompson. Sir Thompson's basic understanding of Mayan writing was that it was composed of signs and symbols representing events in Mayan astronomy and the Mayan calendar. Later however, Sir Thompson's beliefs were challenged by Yuri Knorosov, a leading Soviet linguist. Knorosov proposed that instead, signs and symbols represent words and syllables. This means that there is the possibility for the entire language to be written so more ideas can be expressed than simply concepts of astronomy and the calendar. Then, in 1984, David Stuart won MacArthur Fellowship for an important discovery he made concerning Mayan glyphs. At 18, Stuart, the youngest ever recipient of the award, found that the symbols that represent syllables appear in many different variations. In other words, several symbols that appear to be unique, may in fact represent the exact same thing. Further, these symbols are grouped together and combined in ways that form common words. This breakthrough completely changed the way in which Mayan script was viewed. From that point forward, reading the code required a more intuitive approach on the part of the linguists to interpret the creative symbols of the ancient writer. The program also interviews several experts on the topic to give different points of view and explain several of the problems that Mayan linguists are addressing today.
The movie also provided insight on how our ideas about the ancient Maya have changed throughout the journey of interpreting the script. Before there was an accurate understanding of Mayan writing, it had been suggested on several occasions that the Maya were actually a peaceful and gentle people. Today it is understood that the Mayan civilization was a warlike and often brutal society. As the documentary demonstrated, this change in our understanding of the Maya was largely due to our improved ability to read their writing. The primary sources of the hieroglyphs are the most valuable resource for cultural research. Perhaps this is the reason why translating the glyphs is so important; it offers a unique opportunity to look back in time at the ancient Maya.
Besides gathering accurate historical information, there is another important reason for studying the Maya code: the modern day Maya who still reside in the same regions are ability to learn about their heritage and past. Though the entire world may be very interested in these studies, the modern Mayan people have a special connection. So, with the increasing amount of information being gained about both ancient Mayan writing and culture, the more opportunities these people will have to learn about their roots. Cracking the Maya Code showed several video clips of young Mayan children learning to read the hieroglyphs. Several adults were also interviewed who expressed interest in becoming informed about their rich and fascinating history.
Cracking the Maya Code was a simple, yet artful documentary. It was interesting to learn about the specifics of the ancient Mayan writing system. I was surprised to discover just how much can be learned about this fascinating society just from studying hieroglyphs. On top of that, it was surprising to note how scarce these examples of writing are. It really puts the emphasis on making the most of what is available. It was good news as well that the more knowledge of the ancient Maya gained, the more the modern day Maya can be connected with their roots. Finally, it was quite refreshing to learn about the talented men and women who dedicated their lives to deciphering the Mayan glyphs. The task continues today, as experts around the world work hard to crack the code. Like detectives, they carefully examine the evidence and piece together a scene of what Mayan civilization might have been like. The scene is ever changing, and endlessly fascinating; worth every bit of time and effort.
