Mayan numbers and math

The Mayan civilization’s mathematics were one of the most advanced of the ancient Americas. Rather than using a base 10 system as we use (1, 10, 100, 1,000, etc.) they used a base 20 system (1, 20, 400, 8,000, etc.) One of the most fascinating facts about their mathematical system was that their counting system used only 3 symbols – a “shell”, dot, and line. The shell represented 0, the dot represented 1, and the line represented 5.

Also of note is that they were one of the earliest civilizations anywhere in the world to have the concept of zero. While other civilizations had this concept, since none of them interacted with the Mayans it can be said that they Mayans came up with this idea independently (as did the other societies).

The numbers themselves were written vertically – the number 17 would be written with 2 dots side by side and 3 lines arranged vertically underneath. Addition and subtraction was done by writing similar symbols next to one another and then “condensing” them into a new number. This let uneducated tradesmen easily add and subtract.

Certain numbers were considered to be special, or sacred. 20 (the number of human digits), 5 (digits on a hand/foot), 13 (original number of Mayan Gods), and 52 (a concept similar to what we call a century).

Mathematics is also thought to have been an important discipline amongst the ancient society. It appears in Maya art such as wall paintings where mathematic scribes and scholars are recognized by the number scrolls that trail from their arms.

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Amazing architecture of a Mayan Temple

Mayan inventions include a calander and a complex heiroglyphics system. While it cannot be said that they were the sole inventors of such advancements, they did invent them independently in the Western Hemisphere, and their calendar and wrintings differed from that of the Egyptions and Chinese.

While not strictly an invention per se, Mayan art is widely considered to be some of the most beautiful created in the ancient world. The jade pictured can be seen to be inscribed with very specific details.

Also interesting is that the Mayans independently developed a concept of zero in their numbering system. While not generally considered a civilization known for their mathematics, they did nonetheless have an advanced grasp of it. Many of their dates and measurements are surprisingly specific.

Astronomy is another field that the Mayans. Again, the Mayans are not as well known as other ancient civilizations for their astronomy, but data suggests they were surprisingly advanced in their findings. They are thought to be the only pre-telescopic society that realized the Orion Nebula is fuzzy. While this is not known for certain, the information comes from a folk tale that references the Orion constellations part of the sky.

The Mayan’s were a surprisingly advanced race, and usually are not mentioned with the likes of the Chinese and Ancient Greeks for inventiveness. But they actually had much in common with their European and Chinese counterparts.

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