Within a block, glyphs were arranged top-to-bottom and left-to-right (similar to Korean Hangul syllabic blocks).
The blocks within the columns were read left to right, top to bottom, and would be repeated until there were no more columns left. Maya texts were usually written in blocks arranged in columns two blocks wide, with each block corresponding to a noun or verb phrase. (As of 2008), the sound of about 80% of Maya writing could be read and the meaning of about 60% could be understood with varying degrees of certainty, enough to give a comprehensive idea of its structure. Carved and molded glyphs were painted, but the paint has rarely survived. Mayan writing consisted of a relatively elaborate set of glyphs, which were laboriously painted on ceramics, walls and bark-paper codices, carved in wood and stone, and molded in stucco.
Maya inscriptions were most often written in columns two glyphs wide, with each successive pair of columns read left to right, top to bottom
