Most People, generally, when they hear the word "Maya", would believe that there is a Small Group of People living together in Mist-Shrouded Tropical Mountain Citadels and Inaccessible Jungles who Speak the Same Language, Practice the Same Customs and Live in Exactly the Manner as did their Ancestors : the Classic Maya. [except maybe somewhat poorer]

Something like 50 Million Maya Alive Today Speak one or several of the Thirty Four Odd Maya Dialects in Use Today. Housing varies widely according to Climate [and Income Advantages] over this Diverse Geographical Region. Although some Groups have retained an astounding amount of Original Content from the Classic Period, these Traditions have Evolved Dynamically from that Time to This Day, so that while founded on Millennial Traditions passed Faithfully from Generation to Generation : Maya Culture and Religion remains Responsive and Relevant to the Daily Needs and Uses of the Maya People.

There are Currently Three "Alphabets" or "Orthographies" in use Today : the "Official"; [which is in use Primarily by Academics] another Developed by Indigenous Maya Scholar Adrian I. Chavez; [which uses a more Natural Approach to Pronunciation for those Sounds not represented by the Latin Alphabet] and a Simple Phonetic Alphabet that I am preparing for use by the International Humanitarian Community, which I call "Maya International".

It is a Confusing Phenomenon that Every Two or Three Years, the Academic Community Meets in order to Draw Up yet Another "Official Alphabet" and while this Form of Spelling serves the Specialized needs of Linguists and Epigraphers, its System of Notation is only Slightly Easier to Understand than those Upside Down e's and Funny z's that the Dictionary likes to throw at Us.

The Astounding Fact is that Over 50% of Rural Maya are Illiterate and Their Interests are not Represented in this Process. I believe that the time has come to "Invent" Tools that make a Gift of what We First Worlders think of as a "Given" : Literacy. There are not enough Volunteers nor Time for a Massive Literacy "Invasion" - the Medium must be Print Media and it must be In Context or it will Fail to be Integrated into People's Lives and Daily Experiences.

As a Home Grown and Naturalistic Approach, I like the Chavez Alphabet, since it doesn't require too much from the Speaker, Reader or Writer. But it does use some Composite Characters that do not exist on Current Keyboards. We do have a Chavez True Type Font in the Works.

The Maya International "Alphabet" is designed for Entry Level Use by the International Humanitarian Community. It uses no Diacritical Marks and no Special Characters. It is Designed with Volunteers, Missionaries and Travellers in Mind who require a Simple and Direct Approach to Communication.

We are trying to set up a "Desktop Publishing" Operation in Momostenango that will Publish several types of Educational and Cultural Materials designed for the kind of "Hands-On" International Cooperation that We have taken as Our Life's Work. We Invite Your Interest, Participation and Feed Back.We're also working in MultiMedia in Limited Ways due to Limited Means.

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