Husai Anguiano Tamayo

Creating Digital Fonts for Maya Glyphs: Technical and Linguistic Challenges

| Digital Heritage |

The digitization of Classic Maya hieroglyphs represents a frontier in digital heritage, requiring interdisciplinary collaboration between epigraphers and font engineers. Despite advances, the script remains excluded from the Unicode Standard as of 2026, posing significant challenges for digital representation. This article explores the technical hurdles and cultural considerations in encoding one of the Americas’ most elaborate writing systems.

Read More →

Star Wars and the Maya: How Astronomy Influenced Ancient Warfare

| Maya Cosmology |

The Maya hieroglyphic term ‘star war’ refers to a specific type of ancient conflict, not the modern film franchise. While traditionally linked to Venus cycles, recent archaeological reassessments challenge the extent of astronomical timing in warfare. This article explores the epigraphic evidence, mythological contexts, and ongoing academic debate regarding Maya bellicose rituals.

Read More →

LiDAR and Maya Archaeology: Uncovering Hidden Landscapes Under the Canopy

| Digital Heritage |

Airborne laser scanning technology, known as LiDAR, has revolutionized the understanding of Ancient Maya civilization by digitally removing forest canopies to reveal vast urban networks. Recent surveys in northern Guatemala and Belize have identified hundreds of square kilometers of modified agricultural terrain and extensive causeway systems. These findings suggest a level of societal complexity, centralized planning, and population density previously unimagined by researchers.

Read More →