The Maya

Though many civilizations made immense progress and created some of the amazing materials we have today, it was really the Maya Civilization that produced the things we use almost everyday. For example, "Intellectuals, probably priests, developed a mathematical system that included the concept of zero and place notation and was capable of complex calculations" (274). On top of their advancements in math, they "created the most elaborate writing system in the Americas, which used both pictographs and phonetic or syllabic elements" (274). This was one of the first times that actual events, data, and religious or mythological texts were recorded. Instead of agricultural achievements that we saw in earlier civilizations, in the Maya Civilization we see more intellectual insights at the forefront. "Early scholars viewed Maya civilization as a peaceful society led by gentle stargazing priest-kings devoted to temple building and intellectual pursuits" (274).  Though the Maya Civilization rose and fell, elements of the culture are still left with us today.