 prev - home - next Fortunately, the Maya themselves were historians, and David Stuart realized that their texts might hold the key to the mystery. His breakthrough was in large measure made possible by the work of another epigrapher, Barbara MacLeod. A professional airplane pilot as well as hieroglyphics expert, MacLeod had deciphered a glyph meaning "to arrive" as it appeared in calendric contexts. And she had also pointed out that it was used in connection with foreign women "arriving" in a given kingdom to marry into the local nobility, thereby effecting political change. It was David Stuart who realized the implications of a key "arrival" statement on Tikal's Stela 31, and he followed it up with an incisive analysis of this and other texts. |
|
