Lacking an equivalent to the Rosetta Stone (the key that unlocked the secrets of ancient Egypt's hieroglyphs), the ancient Mayans' intricately carved and painted symbols found in the ruins of southern Mexico and Central America have been the focus of scholarly debate for decades, with heated disagreements about their ultimate meaning (are they merely symbolic representations, or the actual transcription of a spoken Mayan language). Based on the titular book by Yale University historian Michael D. Coe (one of several experts interviewed here), this fascinating episode of NOVA offers a thorough overview of the major players in Mayan code scholarship, including the groundbreaking discoveries of University of Texas at Austin epigrapher David Stuart (the youngest recipient of the MacArthur “genius” grant) and other researchers who contributed to cracking the Mayan code. The key to their success lay in a combination of systematically eliminating false leads and mistaken theories advanced by previous scholars, followed by renewed examination and detailed recreation of the Mayan hieroglyphs, and the application of Stuart's new approach to deciphering the symbols. As the hieroglyphs begin to “speak” again after centuries of relative silence—exponentially expanding our understanding of Mayan culture and history—the effect is like piloting a time machine back to the peak of ancient Mayan civilization, before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors who destroyed almost all of the Mayan books (only four volumes survive). Combining on-location footage, scholarly interviews, and dramatic recreations, Cracking the Maya Code presents an intriguing look at one of the greatest of all lost civilizations. DVD extras include printable materials for educators. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Shannon)
Cracking the Maya Code
(2008) 54 min. DVD: $24.95. WGBH Boston Video. PPR. Closed captioned. ISBN: 978-1-59375-835-6. Volume 23, Issue 6
Cracking the Maya Code
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