The Mayan civilization is credited as being one of the first people to use a writing system, realize the concept of zero, use a calendar, understand astronomy and complete pyramidal architecture. For most of these cases the assumption is true. In the case of zero and a system of writing, it was the Olmec nation before the Maya that passed began the use of those concepts. Now let us explore the accomplishments of the Mayan people.
Mayan Knowledge and Engineering
The most famous and obvious accomplishment of the Maya was of course structural engineering. Construction of colossal pyramids as palaces and temples with nothing but the hands of the people was indeed a monumental accomplishment repeated again and again. The architectural aspect was simple, which was fine because the structural aspect was far from simple. Hundreds of cities were built on a grandiose scale, each with their own palace, temples, urban dwellings and terraced gardens. The science of civil planning was, in a sense, perfected by the Maya.
Maya and Writing
Amid the building activities of the Maya were the scholarly groups who developed a complicated system of hieroglyphic writing. Although it was not the first, it was certainly the most advanced. Artistic renderings of military victories, royal genealogical records and spiritual rituals were commonplace. The experimentation and insight needed to create these masterpieces certainly demanded an element of science. For example, they made use of the natural elements at hand in a way that could communicate to present and future generations. Berries and soil became colours of paint and ink. Ashes, bark and animal hides became pencil and paper. Bones and sharp stones carved into rock to create eternal images we still see today.
Mayan Advances in Agriculture
Another aspect of Mayan science at work is in agriculture. Their recognition and development of maize as a base crop and food source is largely responsible for the survival of the civilisation. While the Aztec nations were the first to introduce the use of step gardens near urban dwellings and a highly developed configuration of irrigation, the Maya made use of the concepts. It meant vital crops were always near and well cared for. In essence they had created a produce store at their doorstep with a built in sprinkler system.
There are likely hundreds more examples of scientific accomplishments in the Mayan culture that we have not touched on here. However, there are claims that the lack of understanding of the delicacy of the natural world is what led to the fall of the Maya. Whether that is true or not, it is important to recognise they did discover an immense amount of valuable information about their world and used every ounce of it to foster the growth and betterment of their civilization. That is the true purpose of science.
Early Science in Mexico – Maya. About the author: BookIt is an online travel company determined and dedicated to becoming the leader in providing travelers with the most intuitive online booking experience full of relevant information, helpful guides and travel tips. Find great deals on gran bahia principe akumal at BookIt!
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The Story of Writing: Alphabets, Hieroglyphs, & Pictograms, Second Edition :: Amazon "The most accessible and informative book available on the major writing systems of the world."- History Today Without writing, there would |
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