por The tools most frequently used by the Mayans were communication tools -glyphs-, calendar, rocks like schist, obsidian and jadeite, stone spears and axes.
The Mayans were one of the most important Mesoamerican and pre-Columbian civilizations. The ancient Mayans inhabited part of Central America, specifically the Yucatan peninsula, in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras.
The history of the Maya is divided into three specific epochs: the pre–classic (1000 – 250 BC), the classic (250 BC – 900 AD) and the post–classic (900 – 1561 AD).
After the arrival of Christopher Columbus, its population decreased.either. Despite that, there are many Mayans today, around 800,000.
For a long time the Mayans remained united, until some of them decided to emigrate to other lands. They mobilized to 60 different places. Each place was a kingdom with its own ruler. Due to its establishment in different geographical areas, the Mayan civilization was not completely homogeneous.
Each kingdom had characteristics that differentiated it from the others. What united each of these peoples was their culture. The Mayans were polytheists. They also shared the same way of writing and measuring time.
Some historians consider the Maya one of the most advanced civilizations of antiquity.
The Mayans developed large buildings and their own system of agriculture. None of these advances would have been possible without the use of the tools they developed.
The reasons that the Mayans had to create tools had to do with some specific work: agriculture, architecture, war, communication or veneration of their Gods.
communication tools
The Mayan alphabet is one of the few Mesoamerican writing systems that has been deciphered almost entirely.
The alphabet was made up of glyphs. Glyphs were symbols that represented a specific idea. Through these glyphs, complete stories about their culture could be told, they also helped in the measurement of time.
Tools for measuring time
The calendar with glyphs is one of the most relevant contributions of this civilization. The Mayans used their wisdom to recognize the stars in order to measure time.
Thanks to this measurement, they were able to establish religious celebrations, the arrival and duration of the rainy season and hunting. For them this calendar could predict the fate of people
Unlike the other calendars, the Mayan calendar uses images instead of numbers. These illustrations are known as glyphs.
This calendar has two simultaneous time accounts: the sacred, or tzolkinand the civilian, or Haab. He tzolkin owns 260 divided into 20 months and the Haab It has 365 days divided into 18 months.
tools for agriculture
The materials that the Maya used to create their tools did not vary much. They did not use metals because their use was not popular.
They used rocks such as schist, obsidian and jadeite. They were extremely simple tools, they did not have much decoration.
These tools were designed to reduce labor time at the time of sowing. One of the techniques most used by the Mayans was to cut and burn the plantations.
Water storage was very important during the drought. The Mayans used wells, they called them tz’onot. The water wasto brought to the plantations through canals.
tools for war
Mayan warriors made their weapons out of wood, stone, flint blades, and obsidian. The b‘ah they were spears, stone and obsidian axes.
In addition to spears, they also used blowguns, javelins, slings, and the bow and arrow. These weapons bore the name jul. They used hornets’ nests as special bombs to disperse the enemy.
His favored weapons were double-tipped spears that were made of obsidian. They wore hardened cotton armor. The decoration of their clothing was also very important, some used feathers and animal skins.
architecture tools
The tools to create buildings were made with materials such as volcanic rock or durable minerals. The city of Chichén Itzá, one of its main cities, it was built without the need to use metal tools.
In Chichen Itza is the temple of Kukulcan. To create this building the Maya used chisels made of obsidian and black jadeite. Some pieces of this structure were created from stone. Mayan temples reflect a lot of solidity.
References
Native American Tools and Weapons. Retrieved from: smithsonianmag.com
Current self-study encyclopedia: History of humanity. Zamora Publishers LTDA. Colombia.