Discuss three important achievements of the ancient Maya. Write your answer in English. You are permitted to use your curriculum to answer this cultural question in English. Please remember to list 3 achievements of the Mayan people. If 2 or less are written, points will be deducted.
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.
Three important achievements of the ancient Maya include their advanced number system, their writing system, and their astronomy skills.
1. The Mayan Number System: The Maya people developed a number system with three symbols for numbers representing one, five, and zero, which served as a placeholder. This system was based on 20, and they could represent any positive integer and perform arithmetic operations, such as addition, well into the millions. The Maya civilization is the first known to have a zero and the system of placeholders.
2. The Mayan Writing System: The Maya writing system consisted of about a thousand symbols, sometimes called glyphs, that corresponded more or less to syllables. These texts have been found inscribed on pottery, monuments, and paper made from a type of fig tree. These hieroglyphics are essential for understanding the history, beliefs and daily life of the ancient Maya civilization.
3. Mayan Astronomy and Calendar: The Maya people had a highly advanced system of astronomy, which allowed them to create a sophisticated calendar. They charted the movements of the moon and planets and could even predict eclipses. Their knowledge of astronomy and their highly accurate calendar system has given us insight into their culture, including their religious practices and rituals revolving around celestial events.