NARRATOR: Imagine explorers arriving to find our cities deserted; our books have perished in some unknown catastrophe; all that is left to speak for us are the written words we have carved in stone.

Did you know scientists have finally cracked the mystery behind the ancient Mayan calendar? For years, people were fascinated by its complex design and thought it might predict the end of the world.

describes where the Maya region is located. recounts the first documented discovery by an expedition from Spain, in 1785, of tablets with hieroglyphs. notes that the complexity of the hieroglyphs ...