MAYA ACHIEVEMENTS AND INVENTIONS
Essential Themes
Technology: How does technology affect people's lives?
Culture: How do we know what we know about human history?
Technology: How does technology affect people's lives?
Culture: How do we know what we know about human history?
While the Maya did not have wheeled vehicles or metal tools, that does not mean that they were not very, very advanced. In previous lessons you learned that the Maya had a complex belief system, complete with its own mythology. They also had an advanced type of hierarchical government with well-defined laws and a legal system that included judges and courts. They established a far-reaching trade system and built roads to connect them to their trade partners. And, even without the use of metal tools, they built amazing public structures that stood at the heart of their vibrant cities. In this lesson, you will learn about some of their other achievements.
Writing was so highly valued in Maya society that it often became the object of their art. Clockwise beginning at left is a page from the Madrid Codex s and plate, both showing scribes at work. The bottom right image shows the Maize god, Hun Hunahpu, in the act of writing.
Why was writing so important to the Maya?
HIEROGLYPHICS
Noted for its spectacular art, monumental architecture, and sophisticated mathematical and astronomical systems, the Maya civilization is also known for having the only fully developed written language of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus.
Record keeping was an important part of the Maya world and was absolutely essential for agriculture, astronomy and prophecy. By keeping records of the rainy and dry seasons, the Maya could determine the best times to plant and harvest their crops.Writing was even more important to Maya religion. In fact, written work describes a command from the goddess, Zamna, to keep, secure, and protect the written word:
“I want you to choose a group of families from my kingdom, and three of the wisest to carry the writings which tell the story of our people, and write what will happen in the future. You will reach a place that I will indicate to you and you will found a city. Under its main temple you will guard the writings and the future writings.”
By recording the movements of the sky deities (the sun, the moon, the planets and stars), for religious purposes, the Maya developed accurate calendars that could be used for prophecy. By keeping written records, the Maya were able to predict planetary cycles - the phases of the moon and Venus, even eclipses. This knowledge was used to determine when these deities would be in favorable positions for a variety of activities such as holding ceremonies, crowning kings, starting trading expeditions, or waging wars.
Despite the Spanish destruction of almost all of the Maya books, 4 codices survived. Those important works and the hundreds of examples of Maya hieroglyphs carved into stone and wood stand as a clear demonstration of the achievements of the Maya civilization.
What are two things the Maya used math for?
HIEROGLYPHICS
Noted for its spectacular art, monumental architecture, and sophisticated mathematical and astronomical systems, the Maya civilization is also known for having the only fully developed written language of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus.
Record keeping was an important part of the Maya world and was absolutely essential for agriculture, astronomy and prophecy. By keeping records of the rainy and dry seasons, the Maya could determine the best times to plant and harvest their crops.Writing was even more important to Maya religion. In fact, written work describes a command from the goddess, Zamna, to keep, secure, and protect the written word:
“I want you to choose a group of families from my kingdom, and three of the wisest to carry the writings which tell the story of our people, and write what will happen in the future. You will reach a place that I will indicate to you and you will found a city. Under its main temple you will guard the writings and the future writings.”
By recording the movements of the sky deities (the sun, the moon, the planets and stars), for religious purposes, the Maya developed accurate calendars that could be used for prophecy. By keeping written records, the Maya were able to predict planetary cycles - the phases of the moon and Venus, even eclipses. This knowledge was used to determine when these deities would be in favorable positions for a variety of activities such as holding ceremonies, crowning kings, starting trading expeditions, or waging wars.
Despite the Spanish destruction of almost all of the Maya books, 4 codices survived. Those important works and the hundreds of examples of Maya hieroglyphs carved into stone and wood stand as a clear demonstration of the achievements of the Maya civilization.
What are two things the Maya used math for?
Maya base 20 numbers are read top to bottom. What would a dot over a shell equal?
MATH
The importance of astronomy and calendar calculations in Maya society required mathematics, and early in their history the Maya constructed a sophisticated number system that was quite possibly the most advanced in the world at the time.
Perhaps with its origins in using fingers and toes to count, Maya math used a base 20 number system. By contrast, our decimal system uses a base of 10.
Maya numerals consisted of only three symbols: zero was represented as a cacao bean or shell shape; one was represented by a dot; and five by a bar. The Maya mathematical symbols - the shell/bean, the dot, and the bar - likely evolved as a shorthand counting method for merchants. Because cocoa beans were considered currency, it’s easy to imagine Maya traders lining up beans (represented by the dots) to complete a sale.
The importance of astronomy and calendar calculations in Maya society required mathematics, and early in their history the Maya constructed a sophisticated number system that was quite possibly the most advanced in the world at the time.
Perhaps with its origins in using fingers and toes to count, Maya math used a base 20 number system. By contrast, our decimal system uses a base of 10.
Maya numerals consisted of only three symbols: zero was represented as a cacao bean or shell shape; one was represented by a dot; and five by a bar. The Maya mathematical symbols - the shell/bean, the dot, and the bar - likely evolved as a shorthand counting method for merchants. Because cocoa beans were considered currency, it’s easy to imagine Maya traders lining up beans (represented by the dots) to complete a sale.
CLICK above to try your hand at Maya math.
Using the shell, dot, bar symbols, addition and subtraction was a relatively simple matter of adding up dots and bars. After the number 19, larger numbers were written in a kind of vertical place value format using powers of 20: 1, 20, 400, 8000, 160000. While we read our numbers left to right, with their vertical place value format, the Maya read their numbers top to bottom.
The concept of zero is a revolutionary math concept. It’s one thing to understand the absence of something, but it’s a truly higher-order understanding to be able to represent that absence in math. The Maya independently developed the concept of zero at least as early as 36 BCE.
The Maya were so advanced in math that they worked with sums up to the hundreds of millions, and with dates so large that it took several lines just to represent them. Despite not possessing the concept of a fraction, the Maya produced extremely accurate astronomical observations. Using nothing more than sticks, they were able to measure the length of the solar year to a far higher degree of accuracy than any calculations in Europe at the time. As a demonstration of how accurate their calculations were, the Maya measured one year to be the equivalent of 365.242 days. Modern calculations made using advanced technology measure one year at 365.242198 days. They calculated the length of a lunar month to be 29.5308 days, only about 40 seconds off of the modern value of 29.53059 days. Amazing!
Why did the Maya devote so much time to making astronomical observations?
The concept of zero is a revolutionary math concept. It’s one thing to understand the absence of something, but it’s a truly higher-order understanding to be able to represent that absence in math. The Maya independently developed the concept of zero at least as early as 36 BCE.
The Maya were so advanced in math that they worked with sums up to the hundreds of millions, and with dates so large that it took several lines just to represent them. Despite not possessing the concept of a fraction, the Maya produced extremely accurate astronomical observations. Using nothing more than sticks, they were able to measure the length of the solar year to a far higher degree of accuracy than any calculations in Europe at the time. As a demonstration of how accurate their calculations were, the Maya measured one year to be the equivalent of 365.242 days. Modern calculations made using advanced technology measure one year at 365.242198 days. They calculated the length of a lunar month to be 29.5308 days, only about 40 seconds off of the modern value of 29.53059 days. Amazing!
Why did the Maya devote so much time to making astronomical observations?
ASTRONOMY
While the Maya lacked the advanced technology with which to make their calculations, they were great observers, especially when it came to making observations about the skies above. Indeed, the Maya were keen astronomers who used their inventive writing and math systems to record and interpret every aspect of the sky. To the right is a page from the Madrid Codex that shows a Maya astronomer using an "observation tube" to scan the skies. Below is the upper, outside end of the "tube."
It was Maya priests who were in charge of observing and recording movement in the skies above. They did so because they looked to the heavens for guidance. The sun, moon, and planets - Venus, in particular - were all of interest to the Maya. The Maya believed that the sun, moon, and planets were gods moving back and forth between the heavens, the Earth, and the underworld. They believed that understanding the sky would allow them to understand the will and actions of the gods. Because of that belief, the Maya dedicated much time to astronomy. They kept accurate tables predicting eclipses and seasonal solstices and equinoxes, as well as other celestial events.
While the Maya lacked the advanced technology with which to make their calculations, they were great observers, especially when it came to making observations about the skies above. Indeed, the Maya were keen astronomers who used their inventive writing and math systems to record and interpret every aspect of the sky. To the right is a page from the Madrid Codex that shows a Maya astronomer using an "observation tube" to scan the skies. Below is the upper, outside end of the "tube."
It was Maya priests who were in charge of observing and recording movement in the skies above. They did so because they looked to the heavens for guidance. The sun, moon, and planets - Venus, in particular - were all of interest to the Maya. The Maya believed that the sun, moon, and planets were gods moving back and forth between the heavens, the Earth, and the underworld. They believed that understanding the sky would allow them to understand the will and actions of the gods. Because of that belief, the Maya dedicated much time to astronomy. They kept accurate tables predicting eclipses and seasonal solstices and equinoxes, as well as other celestial events.
Using only a forked stick and their naked eye, observations made by Maya astronomer allowed them to calculate the path of Venus and other celestial bodies, as well as predict when events such as solar eclipses would occur.
At their tropical latitudes near earth's equator, the sun passed directly over Maya cities twice per year. With careful observation over the years, very accurate timing could be achieved, almost like setting a clock. To achieve that precision, the Maya used observatories, shadow-casting devices, and observations of the horizon to trace the complex motions of the sun, the stars, and the planets.
Many of their most important buildings were even constructed to further their astronomical understanding. In Maya cities, ceremonial buildings were precisely lined up with the directions of the compass. Due to the alignment of such buildings, the sun might be made to cast its rays through small openings in a Maya observatory, lighting up the observatory's interior walls during the spring and fall equinoxes, for example.
Many of their most important buildings were even constructed to further their astronomical understanding. In Maya cities, ceremonial buildings were precisely lined up with the directions of the compass. Due to the alignment of such buildings, the sun might be made to cast its rays through small openings in a Maya observatory, lighting up the observatory's interior walls during the spring and fall equinoxes, for example.
Each equinox, the winged serpent seems to slither down El Castilo at Chichen Itza. CLICK above to see a short time-lapsed video of the event.
Other alignments related to the exteriors of temples and palaces. Seen at left, the most famous example of this kind of alignment can be observed at Chichen Itza, one of the most important Maya cities on the Yucatan Peninsula. During the Spring and Autumn equinoxes at Chichen Itza, the sun illuminates the stairs of a pyramid dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent god. As the the sun rises it casts the image of a snake slithering down the sacred mountain to Earth.
By aligning their ceremonial buildings with astronomical events, the Maya were honoring their gods and using the interaction between their buildings and celestial bodies to express important parts of their beliefs. For instance, the tomb of Pacal, the king of the Maya city of Palenque, is aligned with the path of the sun so that during the winter solstice, the sun follows the centerline of the temple roof and sets behind the high ridge beyond the temple. As the sun crosses the sky, sunlight enters a doorway in the temple, hits the back wall and, as it heads for the horizon beyond the temple, appears to descend the temple’s stairway into Pacal's tomb. By creating that illusion, the Maya linked the life and death of their king to the life and death of the sun. In essence, the alignment of the Temple with the path of the sun made a bold statement that King Pacal was a god.
The ancient Maya observatory, El Caracol, above left, looks remarkably similar to the modern Kitt Peak National Observatory, above right.
What was the chief reason for the Maya use of their calendars?
THE MAYA CALENDAR
One of the most amazing things to come from the astronomical observations of the Maya was their calendar system. Using their knowledge of astronomy and mathematics, the ancient Maya developed one of the most accurate calendar systems in human history. The Maya developed calendars to keep track of celestial movements, as well as the passage of time.
Sometimes, you hear people refer to the “Maya calendar,” but the Maya actually had three calendars that worked together like gears spinning in a great machine. The three calendars used by the Maya include their sacred calendar, known as the Tzolkin, their civil calendar known as the Haab, and their Long Count Calendar.
One of the most amazing things to come from the astronomical observations of the Maya was their calendar system. Using their knowledge of astronomy and mathematics, the ancient Maya developed one of the most accurate calendar systems in human history. The Maya developed calendars to keep track of celestial movements, as well as the passage of time.
Sometimes, you hear people refer to the “Maya calendar,” but the Maya actually had three calendars that worked together like gears spinning in a great machine. The three calendars used by the Maya include their sacred calendar, known as the Tzolkin, their civil calendar known as the Haab, and their Long Count Calendar.
The Tzolkin was 260 days long and was divided into three groups of months, with each month lasting about 20 days. Their civil calendar, the Haab, like our solar calendar was 365 days long. Because their months, based on their base-20 mathematics, were only 20 days long, however, each year in the civil calendar consisted of eighteen months made up of 20 days, plus one 5-day month. Working together, the Tzolkin and the Haab are known as the “Calendar Round.” Every 52 years, the two separate cycles of the Tzolkin and the Haab come back in sync with each other. Using the Calendar Round, the Maya could account for dates up to 52 years in the future, but no further. For a longer picture of time, the Maya created the Long Count Calendar. The three calendars were equally important. When the Maya inscribed a date on a temple wall or a stone monument, they wrote the date using all three calendar notations.
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Of the three Maya calendars, the Long Count Calendar is the one that has attracted the most attention. The Maya developed their Long Count calendar to chronologically date mythical and historical events. The Long Count calendar is a system that counts 5 cycles of time. According to Maya mythology, the first cycle began on the mythical creation date of August 11, 3114 BCE. On that date, while the Sun was at its highest point directly overhead precisely at midday, the Maya constellation of the Turtle (Orion) was at its lowest point. Symbolically, that was when heaven and the underworld were farthest apart, creating a space on earth for the Maya.
Mistakenly, some believed that the Maya Long Count calendar predicted that the world would end during the winter solstice on December 21, 2012 CE. Despite the hysteria that surrounded that date, there are no known Maya writings that predict a catastrophic end to the world. In fact, it seems that Maya belief is quite the opposite. In 2011 scientists discovered a small room dating to 800 CE. Indications are that the room was a calendar workshop for Maya scribes. Paintings and inscriptions on the walls of the room show the Maya calendar extending well beyond the year 2012 CE and that future calendar cycles were understood to already be underway. Instead of signalling the end of all things, the 2012 winter solstice was the date that one Long Count cycle ended and the next began. |
THE MAYA CALENDAR EXPLAINED
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WHAT? THREE MORE REASONS TO LOVE THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE MAYA!
1. They built a civilization in the middle of the rainforest. And, they did it without the use of metal tools. That's right, all of those great palaces and temples, the stone carvings, and the roads - all built without metal tools!
2. Food! Food! Food! Some of our favorite foods share a Maya origin. Guacamole, corn tortillas, tamales and, of course, hot chocolate all began with the Maya.
3. Bigger. Brighter. They painted their temples with the ancient equivalent of glitter to make them sparkle and shine in the sunlight of the tropics. While studying a Maya temple in Honduras in 2008, scientists discovered large traces of mica, a shiny glittery material. The scientists think that the Maya painted their sacred temples with mica in order to make them sparkle in the sun. The paint would have given their holy buildings a mystical, glowing appearance during the day.
1. They built a civilization in the middle of the rainforest. And, they did it without the use of metal tools. That's right, all of those great palaces and temples, the stone carvings, and the roads - all built without metal tools!
2. Food! Food! Food! Some of our favorite foods share a Maya origin. Guacamole, corn tortillas, tamales and, of course, hot chocolate all began with the Maya.
3. Bigger. Brighter. They painted their temples with the ancient equivalent of glitter to make them sparkle and shine in the sunlight of the tropics. While studying a Maya temple in Honduras in 2008, scientists discovered large traces of mica, a shiny glittery material. The scientists think that the Maya painted their sacred temples with mica in order to make them sparkle in the sun. The paint would have given their holy buildings a mystical, glowing appearance during the day.