Ancient Mayan Technological Achievements



The ancient Mayans are very popular even today for their achievements. These accomplishments have been achieved by them without the aid of any of the modern day technology. The Mayas were the one of the most advanced civilizations in of their times.

Ancient Mayan Architecture

During the Classic Period (300-900 AD) Mayas are believed to have achieved great success in the field of technology. It is thought that construction material like limestone or jade are an example of the Mayan technology.

Ancient Mayan Technological Achievements

The technological advancement of the Mayans could also been seen by the way they constructed their roads.

Mayan Roadways

The roads not only connected the towns and cities but also connected all the ceremonial and religious centers. The building material used to construct the roads was quite different from what we use in the modern times. The roads were constructed with the help of three layers of the building material.

Ancient Mayan Technological Achievements

First, a layer of huge stones was placed on the ground. Once the stones were properly placed, they were covered up with rubble. Finally, limestone was placed over these stones and rubble.

In the Mayan Transportation, the roads were also called 'white roads' or 'white ways' after the color of limestone. The roads were normally constructed roughly a few feet above the ground level. The Mayans used canoes to transport their goods. Wheels were only to make toys. For the most part, the Mayans traveled by walking.

Ancient Mayan Calender

Another aspect of technology was the calendar developed by the Mayans. The calendar was prepared on the basis of celestial movement of objects in the sky and the Mayan calendar was almost precise. Time was an essential element in calculating the year. All the observations were made with naked eyes and were recorded in codexes. Astronomy was evolved by the Mayans.

Ancient Mayan Technological Achievements

The Mayans had built temples, pyramids and other structures on the basis of their astronomical understanding. Time was an essential factor in the Mayan culture. Movements of celestial objects were used by the Mayas to calculate time. Mayan mythology suggests that they were probably the first civilization to have knowledge of the Orion Nebula.

Ancient Mayan Activities

The Mayan women engaged themselves in indoor activities like weaving and spinning. They weaved cloth and fabrics. The rich women used dye to color their cloth and the fabric used was of high quality. The dyes were prepared from plants that were specially grown for obtaining color.

Ancient Mayan Technological Achievements

The ancient Mayans even extracted color from a mineral known as 'mica'. Some plants were particularly grown to obtain dye. Mayans are believed to have stumbled upon a process whereby mixing rubber tree with other materials creates an extremely strong and durable product.

Once they realized its potential, the mixture was used to make things like glue, figurines, rubber balls, water-proof cloth and such other things that could be utilized in their day-to-day lives. Mayans were one of the most advanced civilizations of their times.

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