Experts Study Writing in Ancient Mexican City
2020-10-04
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1Many mysteries surround the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacan.
2One mystery is especially difficult to solve.
3What is the meaning of the symbols that are on its paintings and statues?
4Earlier this month, the area's pyramids reopened to visitors as coronavirus restrictions eased.
5But the most interesting neighborhood remains off-limits to tourists.
6The neighborhood has a patio floor with rare painted symbols, known as glyphs.
7Their discovery, in the 1990s, led a growing number of experts to question the long-held belief that the city did not have a writing system.
8These experts hope to one day understand the meaning of the glyphs - just as other scholars have done with ancient Mayan and Egyptian writing.
9Teotihuacan is about 50 kilometers outside the Mexican capital, Mexico City.
10Teotihuacan was possibly founded more than 2,000 years ago.
11It was an active city for over six centuries.
12At one time, it was the largest city in the Americas and home to at least 100,000 people.
13Yet much is unknown about its occupants and their civilization.
14It is unclear what language they spoke.
15It is also unclear if they developed a system of writing like that of the Aztecs.
16The Aztecs controlled the same area about 800 years later.
17Experts have debated several theories about the glyphs.
18They say the glyphs may have been used to teach writing or may have been the names of places.
19Art historian Tatiana Valdez wrote a book about the glyphs of Teotihuacan.
20She says the patio's 42 glyphs are the longest text ever found at the city's ruins.
21Valdez added that more than 300 of Teotihuacan's glyphs have been tentatively identified.
22Many ancient Mexican codices - paper books covered in ancient writing - were ordered to be burned in colonial times by Catholic officials.
23Only about 10 of the codices still exist.
24Valdez believes that such books were also part of Teotihuacan's written tradition.
25Walking around La Ventilla, where you can find the patio, is like exploring an ancient neighborhood.
26It has religious centers, stores, houses, and beautiful paintings.
27Mexico's government-operated National Institute of Anthropology and History says more work is still needed to be able to open the area to visitors.
28Pictures and images of the city's most recently confirmed glyph will likely be published in a paper next year.
29It is the kind of find expected by the University of Michigan's Joyce Marcus, who has argued that writing was absent in the city.
30"So far, we have not seen the long texts," she told Associated Press reporters in an email.
31A painting discovered in the 1960s in Teotihuacan shows what appears to be a religious leader holding a book.
32The picture was a "hugely important" discovery, said Christophe Helmke of the University of Copenhagen.
33He is a leading expert on the city's writing system.
34Helmke added that writing in Teotihuacan was probably mostly limited to its books.
35David Stuart of the University of Texas said it is difficult to understand Teotihuacan's glyphs because researchers are not sure what language was spoken there.
36Stuart has been a leader in decoding ancient Mayan writing.
37"It's true that many still say that Teotihuacan had no writing system," he said. "But, in fact, it's there."
38I'm John Russell.
1Many mysteries surround the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacan. One mystery is especially difficult to solve. What is the meaning of the symbols that are on its paintings and statues? 2Earlier this month, the area's pyramids reopened to visitors as coronavirus restrictions eased. But the most interesting neighborhood remains off-limits to tourists. 3The neighborhood has a patio floor with rare painted symbols, known as glyphs. Their discovery, in the 1990s, led a growing number of experts to question the long-held belief that the city did not have a writing system. These experts hope to one day understand the meaning of the glyphs - just as other scholars have done with ancient Mayan and Egyptian writing. 4Teotihuacan is about 50 kilometers outside the Mexican capital, Mexico City. 5Teotihuacan was possibly founded more than 2,000 years ago. It was an active city for over six centuries. 6At one time, it was the largest city in the Americas and home to at least 100,000 people. 7Yet much is unknown about its occupants and their civilization. It is unclear what language they spoke. It is also unclear if they developed a system of writing like that of the Aztecs. The Aztecs controlled the same area about 800 years later. 8Experts have debated several theories about the glyphs. They say the glyphs may have been used to teach writing or may have been the names of places. 9Art historian Tatiana Valdez wrote a book about the glyphs of Teotihuacan. She says the patio's 42 glyphs are the longest text ever found at the city's ruins. 10Valdez added that more than 300 of Teotihuacan's glyphs have been tentatively identified. 11Many ancient Mexican codices - paper books covered in ancient writing - were ordered to be burned in colonial times by Catholic officials. Only about 10 of the codices still exist. 12Valdez believes that such books were also part of Teotihuacan's written tradition. 13Walking around La Ventilla, where you can find the patio, is like exploring an ancient neighborhood. It has religious centers, stores, houses, and beautiful paintings. 14Mexico's government-operated National Institute of Anthropology and History says more work is still needed to be able to open the area to visitors. 15Pictures and images of the city's most recently confirmed glyph will likely be published in a paper next year. 16It is the kind of find expected by the University of Michigan's Joyce Marcus, who has argued that writing was absent in the city. 17"So far, we have not seen the long texts," she told Associated Press reporters in an email. 18A painting discovered in the 1960s in Teotihuacan shows what appears to be a religious leader holding a book. The picture was a "hugely important" discovery, said Christophe Helmke of the University of Copenhagen. He is a leading expert on the city's writing system. 19Helmke added that writing in Teotihuacan was probably mostly limited to its books. 20David Stuart of the University of Texas said it is difficult to understand Teotihuacan's glyphs because researchers are not sure what language was spoken there. 21Stuart has been a leader in decoding ancient Mayan writing. 22"It's true that many still say that Teotihuacan had no writing system," he said. "But, in fact, it's there." 23I'm John Russell. 24David Alire Garcia reported on this story for Reuters news agency. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 25_____________________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27symbol - n. a mark used to represent an object or process 28pyramid - n. a large structure with a three- or four-sided base and sides that meet in a point at the top 29text - n. a piece of written material; writing words that form a collected piece of work 30absent - adj. missing; not present at all; not existing 31We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.