History of Gender Commons^™

The Conservation Of Mayan Artifacts, Russell M. Franks

Russell M. Franks

Paper will examine the conservation methods and techniques used for the preservation of Mayan artifacts. Particular emphasis will be given to the four Mayan Codices known as the Dresden, Paris, Madrid, and Grolier Codices.

These four documents are unique in that, not only have they survived until recently in less than ideal conditions for almost five hundred years, but they represent a culture whose written record was almost entirely destroyed by the religious zeal of the early Spanish missionaries.

The fact that these codices still exist today is reason enough that special attention should be given to the care and …

The Enigma Of Mayan Hieroglyphs, Russell M. Franks

Russell M. Franks

Much of the confusion in deciphering Mayan hieroglyphs that has occurred over the centuries can be traced directly to Bishop de Landa. Landa is infamous for his religious persecution of the Maya peoples, and beginning in 1562, the systematic destruction of their birch-bark books. It wasn't until 1922 that the Russian linguist Yuri Knorozov made the breakthrough analysis that the glyphs stood for sounds and not symbols.