The Maya hieroglyphic script, an indigenous graphic notation system in the Americas, presents a formidable decipherment challenge. Approximately 40 per cent of its approximately one thousand known signs remain elusive owing to limited comprehension of the Classic Mayan language. Spanning modern-day south-eastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and western Honduras, the Classic Maya civilization left over ten thousand inscriptions, primarily detailing the lives of political elites. The ‘Text Database and Dictionary of Classic Mayan’ project endeavours to unveil the script’s mysteries via an online text database and dictionary at https://classicmayan.org. Collaborative digital humanities methodologies and tools empower insights into the Maya’s cultural and historical legacy. The project catalogues inscribed artefacts and images in the virtual research environment TextGrid and the ‘Maya Image Archive (MIA)’, enhancing accessibility and collaboration. It further converts Maya hieroglyphic texts into machine-readable XML/TEI format and employs a novel sign classification framework. A new linguistic tool facilitates linguistic analysis and translation, enriching our understanding of Classic Mayan language and culture. Furthermore, the project compiles a vast repository of digitized Maya culture-related images and textual data, accessible online. As of 2024, it focuses on hieroglyphic texts from specific regions, with ongoing transliteration, transcription, and linguistic analysis. This digital approach not only facilitates dynamic Maya script research but also offers a platform for comprehensive source material evaluation and publication.

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