We present an overview of the CODICES project, an interdisciplinary approach for analysis of pre-Columbian collections of pictorial materials – more specifically, of Maya hieroglyphics. We discuss some of the main scientific and technical challenges that we have found in our work, and present a summary of our current technical achievements. This overview stresses the importance of thinking globally and acting both locally and globally with respect to developing approaches for cultural heritage preservation, research, and education. [pdf]