Mayans, Incas and aztecs: sCIENCE AND technology Class 2

mAYANS Of all the ancient american civilizations, the maya developed one of the most advanced systems of writing and numbers: Their writing looks similar to the ancient egyptians. they used symbols (also called glyphs) to represent words, sounds, or objects.

The maya used a number system with the base number of 20 (we use a base-10 number system). they wrote numbers using a system of bars and dots.  The maya had two kinds of calendars, a religious calendar called the tzolk'in and a solar calendar called the haab’.

The solar calendar, or haab', had 18 months of 20 days each The solar calendar, or haab', had 18 months of 20 days each. there were five extra "unlucky" days in the 19th month to get to total of 365 days in a year. 

The religious calendar, or tzolk'in, was a 260-day calendar The religious calendar, or tzolk'in, was a 260-day calendar. this calendar has two cycles, a 20 day cycle and a 13 day cycle. each day has a name and a number

Aztecs When the spanish arrived in mexico, the aztecs had not yet developed iron or bronze metals. their tools were made from bone, stone, and obsidian. Aztecs had a fairly developed society. they also had some writing and technology of their own. Aztec language: The aztecs spoke the language nahuatl. it is still used to today in some parts of mexico. some english words come from nahuatl including coyote, avocado, chili, and chocolate.

Aztec writing: The aztecs wrote using symbols called glyphs or pictographs. they didn't have an alphabet, but used pictures to represent events, items, or sounds. only the priests knew how to read and write. they would write on long sheets made of animal skins or plant fibers. an aztec book is called a codex. most of the codices were burned or destroyed, but a few survived and archeologists have been able to learn a lot about aztec life from them. 

Examples of some Aztec glyphs (artist Unknown) One of the most famous aspects of Aztec technology was their use of calendars. The Aztecs used two calendars. One calendar was used for tracking religious ceremonies and festivals. This calendar was called the tonalpohualli which means "day count. The calendar had 260 days.

The other calendar was used to track time The other calendar was used to track time. This calendar was called the Xiuhpohualli or "solar year". It had 365 days divided up into 18 months of 20 days each. There were 5 days left over that were considered unlucky days

INCAS The Incas didn't have a lot of basic technologies we often consider important to advanced societies. they didn't use the wheel for transport, they didn't have a writing system for records, and they didn't even have iron for making tools. But, they built a large system of roads that went throughout their empire. the roads were usually paved with stone. stone steps were often built into steep areas in the mountains. they also built bridges where the roads needed to cross rivers.

The Incas were expert farmers The Incas were expert farmers. they used irrigation and water storage techniques to grow crops in all sorts of terrain from the deserts to the high mountains.

The Inca used their calendar to mark religious festivals as well as the seasons so they could plant their crops at the correct time of the year. The Inca had a complex system of government and taxes. numerous officials kept watch over the people and made sure that the taxes were paid. 

trade in the Mesoamerican area During their development, the most important pre-Hispanic commercial cities were influenced by other contemporary peoples and, in turn, transmitted knowledge, exchanged materials and influenced in different ways in other cultures of their time.

Population growth, expansion of the territory and intense commercial activity consisted of a wide network of roads that could cross all of the Mesoamerican area. Through different routes of commerce and exchange, transited different political, diplomatic missions, astronomers, mathematicians, artists, and other servants. With them, their traditions and customs.

It was through trade that ethnic groups were approached and through commercial routes transmitted their knowledge about economics, social organization, ideology, symbolisms and architectural and political organization. All of those allowed trade to generate greater stability as a social organization.