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023. Maya Scripta: An Accessible Project for Learning Maya Glyphs, with Rubén Morales Forte

From an online glyphs database to a teaching aid to a set of historical board games, Maya Scripta is transforming the way people in Guatemala and abroad interact with Maya hieroglyphic writing. In this episode we talk with epigrapher and linguist Rubén Morales Forte, a Mayanist scholar co-leading the Maya Scripta project. The project formed the topic of his Master’s thesis at Tulane University and stemmed from his licenciatura (undergraduate degree) studies at Universidad del Valle Guatemala.

Rubén Morales Forte was born and raised in Guatemala, where he did his undergraduate in Archaeology. He then did an MA in Latin American Studies and is currently enrolled as a Ph.D. Student in Anthropology, both at Tulane University. His main interests are the integral study of ancient and modern Maya culture, the implementation of community-engaged scholarship, and other public outreach methodologies such as gamification. When he is not working on this, he loves to do and watch sports, especially riding his bike and exploring nature.