The Birth of Technology in Mesoamerica

By ETHAN GOMEZ

For thousands of years, people in Central America have found ways to improve their lives. Tools and technologies help us do more work with less effort and make our lives easier. But how did those tools and technologies come about? The Maya people were among the first groups to make discoveries that led to new technology in Mesoamerica. And now scientists uncover more about these ancient people by using modern technologies like computers and lasers!

In the past, people could only see the universe in one way. They could not travel very far or very fast. But now that science and technology have changed the world, we can see things that were hidden before. We have new ways of getting from one place to another and new tools and materials that help us make textiles, boats, and paper—and even understand the past!

Technology has improved in many ways, like finding better ways to get from one place to another. For example, modern technology has made transportation faster, easier, and more efficient than it used to be. Traveling long distances is much easier than before the invention of trains, cars, and airplanes.

Education depends mainly on how effective teaching methods were used back then compared to today's standards; therefore, without proper instruction methods being utilized by teachers back then, there wouldn't be any hope for students' success later on down their own paths towards achieving higher learning goals."

Once again, it was scientists using modern technology to help us learn more about the ancient Maya people. In Mexico, scientists have also studied the old Maya people using modern technology. They have discovered that they were more advanced than we thought, not just farmers and traders, but builders as well! The Maya had many things we take for granted today, like electricity and airplanes, but they also had inventions like books and clocks, which we don't have today!

These discoveries show that even though these fantastic people lived thousands of years ago, they could still invent new things back then, just like when someone created something today (like a bike).

Archaeologists have found artifacts showing how vital these things were to how these ancient people lived.

In archaeology, the word artifact refers to any object left behind by people in the past. Artifacts can be made of many materials, including wood, stone, and metal. Archaeologists study these things to learn more about the people who made them and how they lived.

A few discoveries have revealed things about the ancient people we never knew. For example, researchers now know that Mayan culture was more advanced than previously thought. The old Maya had a complex social structure, religious system, and calendar that was far more developed than what was once understood by modern-day archaeologists. They also had a problematic transportation and textile system—all previously misunderstood by archaeologists who studied the civilization's remains.

The world has changed a lot since the ancient Maya lived. But there is still so much we don't know about how they lived and what they thought. That's why scientists study these artifacts today. They want to learn more about them and their culture so we can learn from them too!

• Language: English
• Publisher: TV QUANTUM UNIVERSE
• Release date: Jul 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201498726

ETHAN GOMEZ

In addition to his work in early Native American history in the United States, Ethan Gomez specializes in the history of Latin America and its varied cultures. A fluent Nahuatl speaker, he has studied the Nahuatl historical annals from the 16th and 17th centuries, written by the Aztecs in their own language, using the Latin alphabet that Spanish friars taught them so they could convert more easily to Christianity. Several Mesoamerican codices are also a specialty of his.

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ETHAN GOMEZ

INTRODUCTION

For thousands of years , people in Central America have found ways to improve their lives. Tools and technologies help us do more work with less effort and make our lives easier. But how did those tools and technologies come about? The Maya people were among the first groups to make discoveries that led to new technology in Mesoamerica. And now scientists uncover more about these ancient people by using modern technologies like computers and lasers!

In the past, people could only see the universe in one way. They could not travel very far or very fast. But now that science and technology have changed the world, we can see things that were hidden before. We have new ways of getting from one place to another and new tools and materials that help us make textiles, boats, and paper—and even understand the past!

Technology has improved in many ways, like finding better ways to get from one place to another. For example, modern technology has made transportation faster, easier, and more efficient than it used to be. Traveling long distances is much easier than before the invention of trains, cars, and airplanes.

Education depends mainly on how effective teaching methods were used back then compared to today's standards; therefore, without proper instruction methods being utilized by teachers back then, there wouldn't be any hope for students' success later on down their own paths towards achieving higher learning goals."

Once again, it was scientists using modern technology to help us learn more about the ancient Maya people. In Mexico, scientists have also studied the old Maya people using modern technology. They have discovered that they were more advanced than we thought, not just farmers and traders, but builders as well! The Maya had many things we take for granted today, like electricity and airplanes, but they also had inventions like books and clocks, which we don't have today!

These discoveries show that even though these fantastic people lived thousands of years ago, they could still invent new things back then, just like when someone created something today (like a bike).

Archaeologists have found artifacts showing how vital these things were to how these ancient people lived.

In archaeology, the word artifact refers to any object left behind by people in the past. Artifacts can be made of many materials, including wood, stone, and metal. Archaeologists study these things to learn more about the people who made them and how they lived.

A few discoveries have revealed things about the ancient people we never knew. For example, researchers now know that Mayan culture was more advanced than previously thought. The old Maya had a complex social structure, religious system, and calendar that was far more developed than what was once understood by modern-day archaeologists. They also had a problematic transportation and textile system—all previously misunderstood by archaeologists who studied the civilization's remains.

The world has changed a lot since the ancient Maya lived. But there is still so much we don't know about how they lived and what they thought. That's why scientists study these artifacts today. They want to learn more about them and their culture so we can learn from them too!

THE CLASSIC PERIOD

In the Classic Period and beyond the conquest, the Maya civilization prospered and succeeded thanks to ingenious systems of workforce transport. Over the roads of the Maya domain and to distant ports in the seas engulfing the Yucatán Peninsula, Maya transportation technology systems enabled the movement of trade goods and materials. The Maya relied on raw staffing to transport materials between cities, build construction projects, and power their seagoing cargo vessels. Native American work animals were unavailable in the Americas, but the Maya were able to overcome this obstacle through their creativity. Innovators substituted the workforce for animal power in an efficient manner.

Various animals that are now extinct inhabited North and South America at the end of the Pleistocene Era (2,000,000 to 10,000 years ago). Large mammals, known as megafauna, constituted most of the now-extinct species. Extinct animals were massive beasts, such as mastodons with a weight of 20,000 pounds, giant ground sloths with a height of 6 feet, saber-tooth tigers with a height of 10 feet, and short-faced bears with a height of 10 feet. Equus, the modern horse, and camelops, the contemporary camel, were among the creatures that originated in North America. There were two groups of these species. Northern bands crossed the Bering land bridge, while southern bands crossed into North America. Camels and horses from northern regions migrated across Asia to Siberia. All the great civilizations of Asia, Africa, and Europe used these animals for power and transportation. Towards the end of the last Ice Age, the southern herds were wiped out in North America. By losing these beasts of burden, the Americas were left without them. Man migrated to the continent, primarily responsible for this extinction. Megafauna, defined as animals that weigh more than 100 pounds, have survived into the 21st century in significant numbers. Some animals include humans, deer, bears, cougars, moose, and alligators. With a weight of 2,200 pounds, the bison is the largest extant land animal in North America.

I find it interesting to point out Mother Nature's irony in her humor. Animals of burden were scarce on the American continent as humans migrated there. She then extinguished their lives in the Americas after sending herds of American horses and camels to Asia, where they served as the power source for great conquering empires. A Spanish conquistador was mounted on the horse when it was seen in the Americas for the next time. It is unlikely that the Classic Maya were aware of Mother Nature's practical joke on the Americas. Animals capable of being domesticated and used as beasts of burden had been eradicated by the Holocene extinction. Such an animal was unknown to the Maya. They cannot be tamed because wild animals lack the qualities of trustworthiness and mild temperament that characterize domesticated working animals. Dogs and other agricultural animals, such as turkeys, ducks, and stingless bees, were successfully domesticated by the Maya.

Additionally, guinea pigs and llamas were domesticated in South America. Llamas can carry 65 pounds when used as pack animals. There was no limit to the weight a Maya porter could carry. In comparison, a Maya porter only needs 2 pounds of corn daily to feed his llama. As a result of their creativity, the Maya developed a viable alternative to animal power. Maya workforce was an inexpensive and abundant source of kinetic energy. Why Not Use the Wheel in Maya Transport Technology?

In addition to being referred to as a Stone Age culture, archaeologists also criticize Maya technology for not understanding wheels for transportation. Hunters and gatherers became farmers as Maya culture progressed, and powered carriers became more necessary.

As villages, towns, and cities grew, power supply requirements increased. Maya farmers and technicians used staffing to lift, transport, and mobilize loads to implement agriculture, construction, and transportation.

Why didn't the Maya use a wheeled vehicle for transport if they were intelligent? A museum exhibits small toys crafted by Maya with wheels and axels. Why did this important invention not find its way into wheeled vehicles for transportation? Because dray animals weren't available to the Maya, their only source of kinetic energy was the workforce. A wheeled wagon or cart would be required to take advantage of the wheel's properties. The wagon would be constructed with a trace at the front to accommodate men rigged in harnesses. The number of animals required to pull a heavily loaded freight wagon was calculated using the wagon's loaded weight and the animals' weight using the same energy-to-weight formula used for the large freight wagons pulled by horses in the 19th century. Dray animals were considered capable of towing loads equal to their own weight. The number of animals needed to remove the wagon was calculated by dividing the loaded wagon weight by the animal's weight. Pulling their weight is derived from this equation. Just like European wagons, Maya wagons were made of timber.

Calculate the number of pulling beasts for a wagon load using the standard pulling their weight criteria. Consider, for this example, a 1,000-pound wagon that can transport a 1,000-pound payload. It would weigh approximately 2,000 pounds if the bag and buggy were combined. There were 2,000 pounds of wagon