Dbq Mayans Achievements

During the Classical Period, the timeline that stretched between 250 A.D. to 900 A.D., the Mayans were a civilization filled with success and abundance. Located in Central America, mainly around the Yucatan Peninsula, the Mayans built complex cities large enough to house millions of people during a pre-industrial age. They also developed a number of trade networks that allowed them to connect regions one at a time to exchange goods and luxuries. Moreover, they created the idea of zero, their base-20 number system, and many calendars. The Mayans were undoubtedly one of the most progressive pre-industrial civilizations, creating revolutionary inventions and executing considerable feats that assisted their daily lives. Furthermore, their creations

Using the four criteria: scale, genius, effort, and significance, the most remarkable accomplishments of the Mayans are their series of trade networks, city architecture, and their number system. Out of these three, the most impressive achievement is their number system. These creations allowed the Mayans to be considered one of the most commendable civilizations. The Mayan trade network was vast and complex, connecting distant regions and facilitating the exchange of goods and ideas. There were two methods in trading, and that was trading by land or sea. As shown on the map created by various sources in document A, the Mayans traded a variety of commodities such as salt, cacao, cotton, jade, honey, obsidian, and much more. Some luxuries they traded were feathers and animal skin (Document A). There were various trade

Their trade network covered thousands of square miles and allowed them to trade commodities, luxuries, and much more. They also put ample amounts of effort into creating the trade routes, and carrying the goods. The Mayan city architecture took considerable time and effort, and additionally required intelligence. As they were in a period of pre-industrialism, the Mayans needed to utilize manpower instead of advanced technology. Hence, they required a powerful political system to order a large workforce to construct the complex structures. The scale of the cities were undoubtedly enormous, as they were able to fit millions of citizens. Lastly, the Mayan number system was their most remarkable achievement. They were one of the few civilizations to discover the concept of zero, which displays how intelligent the Mayans were. Moreover, their number system aided in creating their calendars, as the calendars had twenty days in a month. Through these achievements and inventions, the Mayans were able to flourish in economy and success. With these accomplishments, they are considered one of the greatest civilizations of all