ABSTRACT
Staring into a crystal ball can lead to blurred vision: Are we looking at what will come to pass, or simply at a desired future? The great strides made over the last decade in Maya epigraphy-which we define broadly as the study of all Maya texts, whether inscribed or not-deepen our sense of future expectation and wonderment. As predicted from past events, further work will result in developments that few can imagine. In this chapter we glimpse into the crystal ball of Maya epigraphy, with the proviso that ten years out the picture becomes murky and unpredictable. A similar exercise appears in two other publications (Houston 2000; Houston et al. 2001), but here we address our remarks in a more personal, less veiled fashion. Nonetheless, the tone is meant to be allusive and olympian, not sharp and accusatory: The general lessons to be learned are more important than any attempt to laud or upbraid specific colleagues.
