Seeking a sort of "dictionary" of Aztec /Mayan /Toltec symbols

January 6, 2025 8:03 PM

I want to get a new tattoo on my trip to Mexico city later this month. I'd like something meaningful to commemorate my trip. I've tried searching for images but can't find a comprehensive resource that includes meanings for the symbols.
posted by Rivvo to Society & Culture (8 answers total)

One place you can start is reading up on the Yaxchilan lintels and the translations of the captions on the stories they depict. I'm partial to K'awiil from lintel 15 myself. The British Museum has these written up quite tidily if you Google for them, least they could do after stealing "removing" them from their original monument. The lintels are some of my favorite Maya art.
posted by phunniemee at 8:40 PM on January 6 [1 favorite]

Since you'll be in Mexico City, check out the National Museum of Anthropology early in your trip. I've heard the collection is fantastic, and if you contact them in advance, you might get some time with curators who can explain specific symbolism. From the little I know, these pictographs are context-dependent - they can mean different things in different combinations or settings. Getting specific insights directly from experts there would help you pick something (and potentially even a placement) that makes symbolic sense and is culturally appropriate
posted by seemoorglass at 8:40 PM on January 6 [3 favorites]

Here are some online resources:

Ancient Americas This channel has credible academic sources and very in depth studies of the complex cultures of Ancient America. There is a huge library of topics to choose from, with artwork and graphics to describe subtle differences between different groups.

Mexicolore Here is a teacher's resource I have used with success with students to construct Aztec influenced iconography for projects.

I hope these are helpful.
posted by effluvia at 9:16 PM on January 6

I took a seminar on Mayan hieroglyphics, we used either this workbook or one similar to it.
posted by vunder at 9:33 PM on January 6

The European Association of Maya Studies has a free pdf on their front page called Introduction to Maya Hieroglyphs, which provides context, meanings etc.
posted by vacapinta at 12:40 AM on January 7

Have you seen the wonderful PBS Nova episode, "Cracking the Maya Code"? It gives an introduction to a lot of people important to the translation, and you can look up their publications. David Stuart in particular might be useful here, and the Maya Corpus.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 1:46 AM on January 7 [1 favorite]

For instance, lintel 15 from Yaxchilan that phunniemee mentions is reproduced at a nice quality here in the Maya Corpus.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 1:49 AM on January 7

You might find it simpler to find glyphs for places you're going to -- glyphs for Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, Tlacopan seem readily available and I would expect glyphs for other historical placenames to be similarly easy to find. If you're moving beyond core Mexica/Aztec lands, you might want to check that the glyph was one that the local people used and (hypothetically) you're not using the Mexica glyph for Tlaxcala instead of the Tlaxcalan one.

Just to note and I'll be happy to be corrected by someone Maya: if you're just going to Mexico City, I don't think you're going anywhere particularly historically relevant to the Maya. That might be sort of like getting an Eiffel Tower tattoo to commemorate a trip to Madrid.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 8:05 AM on January 7 [1 favorite]