Lost King of the Maya

Lost King of the Maya was a documentary film not only about the Mayan life and people but also about the graphical communicational processes used by them. The Mayan writing system of hieroglyphics was a combination of phonetic symbols and ideograms which represent today's spoken language. The Mayan put their writings into the architecture of their buildings and also onto paper. The hieroglyphics told of their history and heritage and was also used by the kings and people of power to keep themselves in power by demonstrating their heritage and ancestry.

The city of Copan in Honduras was founded by a king called Yax K'uk Mo' from TeotihuacÐ"ÐŽn, Mexico. He established the city and was immediately ruler. After ten years of excavating one of the Mayan temples in Copan, anthropologist Robert Sharer uncovered a panel containing the skeleton of Yax K'uk Mo', and based on the archaeological evidence and the deciphering of some hieroglyphics, scientists have proved that this was the skeleton of Yax K'uk Mo'. The Mayan picture writing covered many of the buildings and was one of only five writing systems. Out of the many codices, only four have survived the Spanish bonfires. One codex was used by David Stuart to decipher the Mayan hieroglyphics. Many of the Mayan books contained numerous things including celestial almanacs; divinatory, ceremonial and ritual matter; as well as historical records.

In the Acropolis, the area containing the Mayan temples and pyramids of Copan, there is a statue called Altar Q, a four-foot square monument. On Altar Q, there are sixteen figures, or Copan rulers, inscribed around it. The Mayan scriptures were inscribed on large stones which they called "Stelae," meaning large stone.

The Mayan also built a hieroglyphic stairway which was used by a Mayan king to regain control. He used the stairway as a visual propaganda to create awe and to show his linkage to the creator of the dynasty, Yax K'uk Mo'. Because the Mayan put inscriptions into mostly all of their buildings, it can be said that "The history of Copan is graven on its monuments." The Copan dynasty started by Yax K'uk Mo' was started at the beginning of the Baktun, a four-hundred year period of time, and ended by the end of it. The end of the Copan dynasty is marked with "Yax Pasah," or a burning temple. Also, the last Copan building constructed