Cradles of early

Science – Dvelopment
of Science in
Mesoamerica
Group 1
The term Mesoamerica is
derived from the Greek and
means "Middle America.
Mesoamerica refers to the
diverse civilizations that shared
similar cultural characteristics
in the geographic areas
comprising the modern-day
countries of Mexico,
Guatemala, Honduras, Belize,
El Salvador, Nicaragua, and
Costa Rica.
 Civilization in Mesoamerica

Maya Inca Aztec

Civilization in Mesoamerica

Maya
The Maya civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization that
flourished from approximately 2000 BCE to 1500 CE. The
Maya civilization was known for its highly developed
writing system, monumental architecture, and complex
social and political organization.
The Maya civilization was centered in what is now
modern-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El
Salvador. It was one of the most advanced civilizations in
the region, with a rich culture that included elaborate
religious beliefs, intricate art and architecture, and a
sophisticated system of mathematics and astronomy.
 Maya Civilization

One of the most notable achievements of the Maya

civilization was their writing system, which is the only
fully developed writing system of the pre-Columbian
Americas.
The Maya used a combination of hieroglyphs and
phonetic symbols to write about a variety of subjects,
including history, religion, and politics.
 Maya Civilization
Maya architecture was also highly developed and
included pyramids, temples, palaces, and other
monumental structures. Many of these structures
were adorned with intricate carvings and sculptures
that depicted religious and mythological themes.
The Maya religion was polytheistic and included a
pantheon of gods and goddesses. They believed in
an afterlife and practiced elaborate rituals and
ceremonies, including human sacrifice.
Maya Civilization

Despite their many achievements, the Maya

civilization experienced a significant decline in the
9th and 10th centuries CE, and many of their
cities were abandoned. The reasons for this
decline are still debated by historians and
archaeologists, but factors such as overpopulation,
warfare, and environmental degradation are
thought to have played a role.
 Civilization in Mesoamerica

Maya Inca Aztec

 Inca Civilization

The Inca civilization made advanced scientific ideas

considering their limitations as old civilization. The
Inca Empire, which flourished from approximately
1200 to 1533 AD, was the largest ancient civilization
in pre-Columbian America.
The Inca Empire was a vast empire that flourished
in the Andean region of South America from the
early 15th century A.D. up until its conquest by the
Spanish in the 1530s.The Inca built a variety of
bridges including suspension bridges and pontoon
bridges. One of the main forms of medicine used by
the Inca was the coca leaf. The Inca developed
aqueducts to bring fresh water into town. The basic
unit of distance used by the Inca was one pace or a
"thatki".
 Inca Civilization

Roads and Communication

They built a large system of roads that went
throughout their empire, it was used for
communication, moving army troops, and to
transport goods.
 Inca Civilization

Stone Buildings
They created sturdy stone buildings without the
use of iron tools and they were able to shape
large stones and have them fit together without
the use of mortar. It survived hundreds of years
despite the many earthquakes that occur in
Peru.
Calendar and Astronomy
They 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.
They studied the sun and the stars to calculate
their calendar.
 Inca Civilization

Farming
They were an expert farmers wherein they used
irrigation and water storage techniques to grow
crops in all sorts of terrain from the deserts to
high mountains despite having no iron tools.
Quipus
it's a series of strings with knots they are
colored, cotton/ camelid fiber and it's used to
record information.
 Inca Civilization

Government and Taxes

Numerous officials kept watch over the people
and made sure that the taxes were paid. The
people were required to work hard, but their
basic needs were provided.
 Civilization in Mesoamerica

Maya Inca Aztec

 Aztec Civilization

The term Aztec comes from the word Aztecah which

means “people from Aztlan”. Aztlan is a legendary
place, which the Aztecs referred to their ancestral
home. The Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico
and built one of largest and most powerful empires
in Pre-Columbian Americas.
The Aztec civilization has also made substantial
contributions to science and technology and to the
society
Aztec Civilization

Mandatory education
The Aztec puts value on education; that is why their
children are mandated to get education regardless
of their social class, gender, or age. It is an early
form of universal or inclusive education.
Girls learned about religion including ritual songs
and dancing. They also learned how to cook and
make clothing. Boys usually learned how to farm or
learned a craft such as pottery or feather-work.
They also learned about religion and how to fight as
warriors.
 Aztec Civilization

Chocolates
The Aztec in Mexico developed chocolate during
their time. In the Mayan culture, they used it as
currency. The Aztec valued the cacao beans highly
and made it as part of their tribute to their gods.
Discovery: 1428 and 1521 CE
Serving chocolate could be ritually important at
ceremonies to mark betrothals, marriages, or other
milestones.
Aztec cocoa was used as a medicinal beverage,
mixed with a variety of other ingredients varying
from tree bark to opossum tails, depending on the
ills it was supposed to cure
Aztec Civilization

Antispasmodic medication
The Ancient Aztecs practiced advanced medicine,
using herbs and flowers to meet the wide range of
medical needs necessary to care for the Aztec
citizens.
They used a type of antispasmodic medication that
could prevent muscle spasms and relax muscles,
which could help during surgery.
 Aztec Civilization

Chinampa
It is a form of Aztec technology for agricultural
farming in which the land was divided into
rectangular areas and surrounded by canals.
The word chinampa comes from the Nahuatl
word chinamitl, meaning "square made of canes“
 Aztec Civilization

Aztec calendar
This enabled them to plan their activities, rituals,
and planting season
The Aztec calendar consisted of a ritual cycle of
260 days (tōnalpōhualli) and a 365-day
(xiuhpōhualli ) civil cycle.
Each day in the calendar was given a unique
combination of a name and a number.
Aztec Civilization

Invention of the canoe

A light narrow boat used for traveling in water
systems.
Aztecs has developed special boats called
canoes which made transportation through
streams and rivers easier. This mode of
transportation was thus extensively used
throughout the Aztec Empire. They dug many
small canals for the transportation of canoes.
Thank You!

Abalain, Mary France

Merilles, Adrian
Tena, John Paulo