How does the Mayan writing system work? How about the famous Maya maths? See and try it yourself with interactive exercises here below and at: http://languagesindanger.eu/map-html/en/ex-americas-maya.php
The Maya used 3 basic signs to write down numbers. It’s a vigesimal (or base-20) system, so numbers from 1-19 are written down with bars and dots. In calendrical contexts, numbers above 20 were written down in vertical columns,...
When it comes to spelling, Maya scribes enjoyed a lot of freedom: purely logographic, purely syllabic or most often – mixed, combining elegant logographs with phonetic clues. And they enjoyed varying spellings to contribute to the general artistic result....