Scientists have discovered what may be traces of ancient writing on a figurine from Guatemala

The figurine was found at the ancient settlement of La Blanca on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. It is dated to around 750–650 BC. Researchers believe that the dots may not have been decoration, but an early form of writing numbers.

Important: the scientists do not claim to have fully ‘deciphered’ the figurine. The meaning of the 11 dots remains a mystery. However, their arrangement and location on the figurine’s body have led archaeologists to suggest that it may have been a symbol associated with a number, a name, a calendar or a person.

Details

The figurine belongs to a specific type that archaeologists call tab figurines. Such figurines do not have a conventional head or face. Instead of a head, they have a protrusion or ‘tab’. However, details such as headbands and ornaments suggest that this part was still perceived as a head.

It was on this very ‘head’ of one figurine that 11 dots were found. They are arranged in three vertical columns: one with 3 dots, and the other two with 4 each. This does not look like a random scratch or damage. The dots were made before the clay was fired.

Why is this important? In ancient Mesoamerica — a region comprising the cultures of southern Mexico and Central America — numbers played a huge role. They were used not only for counting, but also in calendars, rituals, names and conceptions of destiny.

Later in Mesoamerica, a system was widely used in which dots represented units and lines represented fives. However, other methods of recording numbers also existed, including those using only dots. Therefore, the 11 dots on the figurine could be an early example of such a numerical notation.

Archaeologists also note the location where the dots are marked. It is not the back, nor the clothing, nor a random edge of the figurine, but the head area. In the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica, the head was often associated with a person’s identity, name, status and appearance.

Put simply, these dots may not have been merely the number ‘11’. They may have said something about who the figure depicted was, what their status, name or calendrical connection was. But there is no definitive answer yet.

Why this is important

If the interpretation is correct, the figurine may be one of the earliest known examples of numerical notation in Mesoamerica. This is important for understanding how people in this region began to record information long before the developed writing systems of the Maya and other cultures.

The find suggests that writing and counting may not have immediately taken the form of long texts. Sometimes the first steps towards writing may have looked very simple: a few dots on a small object that could be held in the hand.

That said, the researchers remain cautious. They are not claiming to have found a complete text or ‘the first writing system in the Americas’. This is a possible early trace of numerical notation — a small but significant clue.

Background

La Blanca was an important settlement on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. Thousands of clay figurines have been found there, including more than 300 tab-type figurines. Most of them do not have such dots, which is why this specimen stands out.

For archaeologists, such objects are important not only as works of ancient art. They help us understand how people conceived of the body, identity, status and the human connection to the calendar.

In later Mesoamerican cultures, numbers were closely linked to time and destiny. For example, a date of birth could have ritual significance and influence a person’s name or life path. Therefore, the 11 dots on the figurine’s ‘head’ may not be a random detail, but part of an ancient way of identifying a person through a number.

Source

Study: Julia Guernsey et al., ‘Numbers and Bodies: Potential Early Numeration on a Middle Preclassic Figurine from La Blanca, Guatemala’, Latin American Antiquity, 2026.