Isthmian Script (Cascajal Block): Discovered in Veracruz, Mexico, the Cascajal Block bears 62 glyphs in a linear arrangement, dated to around 900 BCE—making it the oldest known writing system in the Americas. Linked to the Olmec civilization, it features abstract and figural symbols resembling plants, animals, and everyday objects. Unlike later Maya script, it shows no clear syntactic structure. The lack of additional examples and the block’s solitary nature hinder analysis. If confirmed as writing, it would rewrite the history of literacy in the New World. The Isthmian script remains a controversial yet vital clue to Mesoamerican intellectual origins.
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