There were many systems of writing present throughout Mexican history. Most notable of them are the glyphs of the pre-Classic and Classic-era Maya, though the Aztecs had writing as well, as recent research is beginning to investigate.

Gordon Whittaker describes the difference in Deciphering Aztec Hieroglyphs¹⁾:

Outside the Maya area, iconography is the rule, not the exception. It is an effective medium because it is monumental in and of itself - it can be recognized and evaluated from a distance, by a diverse crowd assembling in a public area, whereas written text is characteristically viewed close-up, and access to it can be limited by such factors as education and status. Iconography is interpreted, not read, with the help of words chosen by the beholder, whereas writing is read with words chosen by the author. In most Mesoamerican societies, including that I'd the Aztecs, the two systems coexist, in much the same way as illustrations and text occur together in present-day books and newspapers…