The Mayans were great innovators in the fields of art and architecture. Using minerals and plants, they created paint for highly sophisticated murals depicting famous battle scenes, religious ceremonies, and sacrificial rituals.
In architecture, the Mayans were renowned for the elaborate construction of huge temple pyramids from hand-cut limestone bricks. The stones of each temple were stacked in such a way that they formed an unusual triangular archway, a unique feature of Mayan architecture.
The Mayans developed a very complex system of writing based on hieroglyphics or picture symbols. Over time, Mayan hieroglyphics developed to such an extent that scribes were able to convey a whole panoply of sophisticated words, concepts, and ideas.
As for the Aztecs, they made enormous strides in technology, which enabled them to construct the massive island city of Tenochtitlán. Their technological expertise further allowed them to enlarge the city by creating a number of floating islands called chinampas.
In addition, the Aztecs designed a series of causeways connecting Tenochtitlán to the mainland. During the rainy season, when the waters rose, the causeways acted as dikes, preventing the city from being flooded.
The Mayans developed the idea of zero and advanced the field of mathematics. They also managed to develop a more accurate calendar that showed a year had more than 365 days. Mayans established the production and processing of cotton, which they shared with the Europeans through earlier trade interactions. The Mayans also shared their technique of performing intracranial surgeries and advanced the field of medicine. Aspects of their writing system have been adopted in modern systems.
The Aztec civilization emphasized the importance of education by making it mandatory for the entire population, regardless of class or gender. Most civilizations limited education to the nobility. The Aztecs advanced the field of medicine through the use of antispasmodic medicine during surgery. The Aztecs introduced chocolate to the Spanish before it was introduced to other parts of the world.
http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-inventions.html
https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-americas/mayan-scientific-achievements
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