This drawing by my student Samuel Canul Yah shows glyphs which read "Ba'ax u k'áat u ya'al t'aanil", the translation my students chose for the word "semantics", or "what words/language mean." Maya glyphic writing spells syllable by syllable, with marks for phonetic and meaning add ons, and reads from left to right, two glyphs at a time, then down a row. The drawing will be the cover of a glossary of semantics terms we put together this quarter, in Maya, Spanish and English. There's general move here to make Maya more visible, more common in public life, on the radio, on signs, in bureaucratic communication, and in print, since almost 40% of the population speaks it. About time after 500 years of being stigmatized and silenced.

On the right you'll find a poem and story by Ana Patricia Martinez Huchim I translated into English. Enjoy!