Discuss three important achievements of the ancient Maya. Write your answer in English. Use some of this information: The Mayan Number System Long before the Spanish arrived on American shores, a Native American people known as Maya had set up a very advanced civilization in parts of what is now México and Central America. Their empire, made up of city-states, had an economy based on agriculture and trade. It makes sense then, that they would have to develop some type of number system to keep track of their commercial transactions. And that's just what they did. The Maya people had a number system with three symbols for numbers, which roughly resemble a stone, a stick, and a shell. In addition, there was a symbol for 0, which served as a placeholder, just as 0 does in our system. The Maya is the first world civilization known to have a 0 and the system of placeholders. Unlike our system, though, the Maya system was based on 20, instead of 10. The symbols could be combined in different ways to form numbers from 0 to 19. (This is also different from our decimal system, which has numbers from 0 to 9.) With these combinations, they were able to make any positive integer and do arithmetical operations, such as addition, well into the millions. Mayan Math I said that the Maya people could do math operations into the millions. Let's see if we can do some, too. The Maya number system is a base 20 system. Here's how it works. A pebble is worth one, and a stick is worth five. So, five pebbles make up one stick. Pebbles and sticks are put together in different combinations to make any number through 19. A shell is the symbol for 0 and serves as the placeholder. Look at the following examples: Maya number Decimal number o \1 ooo 3 (1+1+1) \ 5 ooo \ 8 (1+1+1+5) \ 10 (5 + 5) oooo\ 19 (1+1+1+1 + 5+5+5) The Maya: An Ancient Culture of the Americas When you hear the words pyramid and hieroglyphics, what civilization comes to mind? Egypt? Another possible answer is the ancient Maya, who existed from about 2000 BC until the Spanish arrived. Even today, thousands of descendants of those early Maya make up a part of the populations of México, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The Maya writing system was made up of about a thousand symbols, sometimes called glyphs, which corresponded more or less to syllables. Texts have been found inscribed on pottery, monuments, and paper made from a type of fig tree. The Maya people also had a calendar, based on their advanced system of astronomy. They charted the movements of the moon and planets, and could even predict eclipses. Their architecture included cities with stone plazas, temples, and huge pyramids used for ceremonies and characterized by steps all the way up the four sides. Interesting features in some Maya cities are spacious courts for playing ball games. Large areas used for agriculture generally surrounded cities. The Maya were also very artistic. Their ceramic and pottery work is decorated with figures of people, animals, and gods. They also used colorful feathers from the quetzal (a large bird that still exists in the area) to decorate the costumes of their chiefs and nobles. The great Maya Empire had declined by the time the Spaniards arrived. There may have been several reasons for this, including wars and overuse of the land. The Ruins of Copán Western Honduras is home to one of the great archaeological sites in the Americas: the Maya ruins of Copán are among the most important archaeological sites of the ancient Maya civilization, located in the town of Copán Ruinas, Copán Department, Western Honduras area. Copán was a great city, which has given us a great deal of our information on the Maya culture. Imagine that you are visiting the great ceremonial complex of Copán. One of the most important areas is the juego de pelota, or ball field. Actual ball games were played here, but for a ritual and ceremonial purpose. The ball games here could mean life or death. At the end of the ball field you see a huge stone staircase engraved from top to bottom with hieroglyphics. These stairs, made of stone blocks, contain over 2,000 glyphs which together make up a long Maya text. We don't know what history is told by these glyphs, although we do know it has to do with a series of 16 great kings of Copán. Next, you come to a large public square. This is the Plaza Mayor, an area used for ceremonies and social events. There are stands on three sides, for the public to watch the event. Between the Plaza Mayor and the juego de pelota is an area with three beautiful temples, including an impressive Temple of the Sun. Lastly, you must visit the Museum of Maya Sculpture, with its collection of art found on the premises and its replicas of the temple and the ball field. Visitors to this impressive site come out with a sense of wonder and admiration for this extraordinary culture of the early Americas.

Question

Discuss three important achievements of the ancient Maya. Write your answer in English. Use some of this information: The Mayan Number System Long before the Spanish arrived on American shores, a Native American people known as Maya had set up a very advanced civilization in parts of what is now México and Central America. Their empire, made up of city-states, had an economy based on agriculture and trade. It makes sense then, that they would have to develop some type of number system to keep track of their commercial transactions. And that's just what they did. The Maya people had a number system with three symbols for numbers, which roughly resemble a stone, a stick, and a shell. In addition, there was a symbol for 0, which served as a placeholder, just as 0 does in our system. The Maya is the first world civilization known to have a 0 and the system of placeholders. Unlike our system, though, the Maya system was based on 20, instead of 10. The symbols could be combined in different ways to form numbers from 0 to 19. (This is also different from our decimal system, which has numbers from 0 to 9.) With these combinations, they were able to make any positive integer and do arithmetical operations, such as addition, well into the millions. Mayan Math I said that the Maya people could do math operations into the millions. Let's see if we can do some, too. The Maya number system is a base 20 system. Here's how it works.  A pebble is worth one, and a stick is worth five. So, five pebbles make up one stick. Pebbles and sticks are put together in different combinations to make any number through 19. A shell is the symbol for 0 and serves as the placeholder. Look at the following examples: Maya number Decimal number o \1 ooo 3 (1+1+1) \ 5 ooo \ 8 (1+1+1+5) \ 10 (5 + 5) oooo\ 19 (1+1+1+1 + 5+5+5)  The Maya: An Ancient Culture of the Americas When you hear the words pyramid and hieroglyphics, what civilization comes to mind? Egypt? Another possible answer is the ancient Maya, who existed from about 2000 BC until the Spanish arrived. Even today, thousands of descendants of those early Maya make up a part of the populations of México, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The Maya writing system was made up of about a thousand symbols, sometimes called glyphs, which corresponded more or less to syllables. Texts have been found inscribed on pottery, monuments, and paper made from a type of fig tree.  The Maya people also had a calendar, based on their advanced system of astronomy. They charted the movements of the moon and planets, and could even predict eclipses. Their architecture included cities with stone plazas, temples, and huge pyramids used for ceremonies and characterized by steps all the way up the four sides. Interesting features in some Maya cities are spacious courts for playing ball games. Large areas used for agriculture generally surrounded cities. The Maya were also very artistic. Their ceramic and pottery work is decorated with figures of people, animals, and gods. They also used colorful feathers from the quetzal (a large bird that still exists in the area) to decorate the costumes of their chiefs and nobles.  The great Maya Empire had declined by the time the Spaniards arrived. There may have been several reasons for this, including wars and overuse of the land.  The Ruins of Copán Western Honduras is home to one of the great archaeological sites in the Americas: the Maya ruins of Copán are among the most important archaeological sites of the ancient Maya civilization, located in the town of Copán Ruinas, Copán Department, Western Honduras area. Copán was a great city, which has given us a great deal of our information on the Maya culture.  Imagine that you are visiting the great ceremonial complex of Copán. One of the most important areas is the juego de pelota, or ball field. Actual ball games were played here, but for a ritual and ceremonial purpose. The ball games here could mean life or death. At the end of the ball field you see a huge stone staircase engraved from top to bottom with hieroglyphics. These stairs, made of stone blocks, contain over 2,000 glyphs which together make up a long Maya text. We don't know what history is told by these glyphs, although we do know it has to do with a series of 16 great kings of Copán.  Next, you come to a large public square. This is the Plaza Mayor, an area used for ceremonies and social events. There are stands on three sides, for the public to watch the event. Between the Plaza Mayor and the juego de pelota is an area with three beautiful temples, including an impressive Temple of the Sun.  Lastly, you must visit the Museum of Maya Sculpture, with its collection of art found on the premises and its replicas of the temple and the ball field. Visitors to this impressive site come out with a sense of wonder and admiration for this extraordinary culture of the early Americas.

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Three important achievements of the ancient Maya civilization include their number system, writing system, and architectural accomplishments. 1. The Mayan number system: The Maya developed a sophisticated number system with three symbols for numbers, which resembled a stone (1), a stick (5), and a shell (0). Their system, based on 20, was the first known civilization to have a concept of zero and the use of placeholders. This enabled them to perform complex arithmetical operations, such as addition, into the millions. 2. The Mayan writing system: The ancient Maya had a writing system made up of around a thousand symbols, sometimes called glyphs, which corresponded more or less to syllables. These texts have been found inscribed on pottery, monuments, and paper made from a type of fig tree. This writing system allowed them to record their history, culture, and knowledge for future generations. 3. Architectural accomplishments: The Maya civilization had impressive architectural achievements, such as stone plazas, temples, and huge pyramids used for ceremonies, characterized by steps on all four sides. One notable example is the ruins of Copán, a great city that has provided a wealth of information about the Maya culture. In addition to their architectural feats, the Maya were also skilled in creating intricate pottery and ceramics decorated with figures of people, animals, and gods. They also used colorful feathers from the quetzal bird to adorn the costumes of their chiefs and nobles.