Over a thousand years ago in the Mesoamerica region the culture that we know as Maya thrived. They had an amazement and intrigued fascination over the technical mastery of their intellectual studies. The Mayan’s history is rich with remarkable human achievements, as well as stories. Some of their most recognizable masterpieces are the Mayan trade network, building Cities, the Mayan number system, and the Mayan calendar.
The Mayans were just one of several civilizations in Mesoamerica that accomplished many achievements. They had one of the greatest pre-industrial architectural cultures, started a trade network, formed a number system and were one of the first to use the number zero, and created a calendar based off what they saw. The trade network was significant as it allowed the Mayan tribes to trade for necessities, such as salt and cacao, and helped spread their culture (Doc A). The remains of the strong buildings built by the Mayans proved they were one of the “greatest preindustrial cultures of the world” in their time (Doc B). The accuracy and time measurements of their calendars were better than any other, and allowed them to predict the weather and
It was one of the first civilizations to engage in and produce significant achievement in astronomy, engineering and agriculture. For instance, they built a pyramid at Chichen Itza, present day Mexico, similar to those in Egypt. Here, they would observe the movement of the stars, sun, moon and planets. Their interest in astronomy led to their innovation of the Mayan Calendar. Moreover, they built these pyramids in order to get closer to the Gods.
According to Document E: The Mayan Number System, the Mayans created the mathematics that people use today. This is showing how Mayans are very intelligent. They not only created a language, but they created a math system that people use 4,000 years in the future. Secondly, according to Document F: The Mayan Calendar, the
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.
The Mayans’ greatest achievement was neither developing a calendar, nor establishing a complex trade system- but rather, the building of their gigantic cities. But what defines excellency? The answer can be categorized into four sections: significance, scale, genius, and effort. The ancient Mayan civilization thrived in isolation, and it wasn’t until recently that we began to truly appreciate their culture and accomplishments.
Around 1800 B.C. to A.D. 250, the Mayans prospered in Central America and became one of the famous empires of all time (Jarus). Because this civilization conquered so long ago, it is important to know how they were successful in doing so. Just like the Aztecs and Incas, the Mayan society learned how to grow and prosper through farming (Jarus). The Mayan empire is also known for constructing large pyramids for their gods, and also for the creation of hieroglyphics (Jarus). The Mayans were very smart and created an empire like no other in the Americas.
In AD 1839, 2 people by the name of John Lloyd and Frederick Catherwood found city named Maya hidden behind trees and vines. Maya is now where present day Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Belize is. Not only was the Mayans notorious for their religious practices but they were also one of the most advanced and developed civilization. Every civilization has cities and social classes but the Mayans were a bit different. These communities held thick forest and very swampy making farming a challenge.
Finally, Math's and science are also one of the achievements the Maya's accomplished. The importance of science and calendar calculations in Mayan society required mathematics and the Maya constructed quite early a very advanced number system. The Maya produced a vast array of structures, and have left an extensive architectural legacy. " Based on its architectural remains, Maya civilization ranks as in of the great preindustrial cultures of the world. "(Document
The numerical system that the Maya created was very important because of how and why it was used. The Maya's number system was based on dots, dashes, and shells. The Maya used this to their advantage because it made them make really accurate astronomical predictions. This also impacted how they made their calendar and how the numerical system connects to the calendars. The criteria for this achievement is also scale, effort, genius, and significance.
The Mayan were some of the greatest astronomers for their time. In their observatories they studied the Sun, Moon and stars. The Mayan astronomers also studied planets such as Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury. The main planet that was studied was the planet Venus because, the Mayan believed that Venus was the Sun’s twin and a War God. During their studies they discovered things such as it takes the earth just over 365 days to travel around the Sun.
In conclusion Aztec math has had a major impact on the world of math as we know it. Some of the math used by the Aztec such as that of area and perimeter is still being used and taught in schools all over the world today by teachers and students alike. The Aztec have made great contributions to the human race and have aided us with molding the future. Without their contributions and knowledge being passed down generation by generation we might have never developed our modern mathematics that have lead us to so many new discoveries and inventions. I chose to do my project on the impact of the Aztec on modern day mathematics because I have Aztec blood and these are my ancestors.
The ancient Mayans, who lived in parts of present-day Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, created one of the most complex and advanced civilizations in the Western Hemisphere. The Mayans accomplished many remarkable and influential achievements, most notably, in art, astronomy, and engineering. The achievements of the Mayans influenced the cultures around them and are still influential today. The Mayans created amazingly sophisticated works of art.
Throughout the Classical Period, the Mayan’s were able to perfect their temple and cultural structures. It was during this period those great cities, such as Chichén Itzá and Uxmal. The Mayans were able to create the mathematical use of zero, their astrological practices allowed for them to create an accurate calendar that helped shape the
This view sounds convincing at first but, it is not the most important achievement of the Maya, although they developed a theory of the number zero and they had an advanced system of numerals, architecture was more important. This is because the Mayan would be able to use architecture on their buildings and paint them bright colors and have many designs of gods carved on the sides or important glyphs, so their buildings wouldn't look simple and plain. According to the textbook, "Sculptures of kings, gods, jaguars, and other figures lined the walls." Also according to the textbook, "The buildings were painted bright blue, green, yellow, and red. "
