A Decipherment of Epi-Olmec Hieroglyphic Writing

Abstract

The decipherment of part of the epi-Olmec script of ancient Mexico, which yields the earliest currently readable texts in Mesoamerica, has been achieved over the last 2 years. This was made possible by the discovery of a stela with a long inscription at La Mojarra, Veracruz, Mexico, in 1986. This decipherment is based on both a reconstruction of the early stages of languages spoken in the region and semantic clues provided by comparison with cultural practices and other script traditions of early southern Mesoamerica. Summarized here is the current state of the phonetic decipherment, the methods used for the decipherment, and results concerning the epi-Olmec language and script. The language identified in the inscriptions is pre-proto-Zoquean, the ancestor of four languages now spoken in the states of Veracruz, Tabasco, Chiapas, and Oaxaca. The decipherment contributes to knowledge of early Mixe-Zoquean language history. The script is more closely related to Mayan hieroglyphic writing than to other early Mesoamerican scripts, and this relation is closer than previously recognized.

Recent Research in the Southern Highlands and Pacific Coast of Mesoamerica

“…The situation is ambiguous, however, because the texts may also contain nonCholan and even non-Mayan elements. Justeson and Kaufman (1993) suggest that the text of Kaminljuyú Stela 10, the longest of the southern region Late Formative texts, may represent a Mayanized form of Mixe-Zoquean, or it may contain both Mayan and Isthmian (proto-Mixe-Zoquean) elements. Mora-Marín (2001, while proposing that the text of Kaminaljuyú Stela 10 is similar to Classic Mayan inscriptions, also notes some similarities to the text of La Mojarra Stela 1, the text used by Justeson and Kaufman (1993) to identify the Isthmian script.…”

“…Justeson and Kaufman (1993) suggest that the text of Kaminljuyú Stela 10, the longest of the southern region Late Formative texts, may represent a Mayanized form of Mixe-Zoquean, or it may contain both Mayan and Isthmian (proto-Mixe-Zoquean) elements. Mora-Marín (2001, while proposing that the text of Kaminaljuyú Stela 10 is similar to Classic Mayan inscriptions, also notes some similarities to the text of La Mojarra Stela 1, the text used by Justeson and Kaufman (1993) to identify the Isthmian script. Kaplan (2000Kaplan ( , 2002a also identifies a large number of glyphs shared between Kaminaljuyú Stela 10 and known examples of the Isthmian script, concluding that Kaminaljuyú may well have been ethnically heterogeneous.…”

Logography and layering

“…Egypt: Egyptian (Gardiner 1957;Faulkner 1999Faulkner [1962*; Bonnamy & Sadek 2010*); (3.) Mesoamerica: Mayan (Montgomery 2002*;Macri & Looper 2003*) -or rather two Mayan language groups (Ch'olan and Yukatecan) -, the 'pre-proto-Zoquean' language of the epi-Olmec script (Justeson & Kaufman 1993), and probably Zapotec; (4.) East Asia: Chinese (or, rather, different historical and synchronic varieties of a Chinese language family), other languages such as Japanese that have adapted Chinese writing (see below), Jurchen (Jin 1984*;Kara 1996), Khitan (Kara 1996), Yi (Yunnan Sheng Lunan Yizu Zizhixian Wenshi Yanjiushi 1984*;Ding 1993;Shi 1996: 239-240, 242), and Tangut (Nishida 1964(Nishida -1966Li 2008*).…”

Reviews

“…It was suggested in the past that MZ might be related to the Huave language of Oaxaca, though the hypothesis has received little support in recent years; Wichmann says nothing about the matter. He does mention (x) that comparative MZ is likely to be relevant to the study of the ancient "Epi-Olmec" writing system, as studied by Justeson and Kaufman 1993; and he provides a valuable critique of problematic lexical items in the evidence published by Campbell and Kaufman 1976, intended to support the hypothesis that the language of the ancient Olmec people was MixeZoquean. Perhaps the value of Wichmann's research will lie more in this area-showing how specific lexical items can cast light on linguistic prehistory-than in the problems of long-range genetic relationships among linguistic families.…”