The Mayan civilization is one of the famous civilizations that lasted for approximately

2,000 years. These people are known for their works in astronomy. They incorporated
their advanced understanding of astronomy into their temples and other religious
structures. This allows them to use their temples for astronomical observation. For
example, the El Castillo pyramid at Chichen Itza in Mexico is situated at the location of
the Sun during the spring and fall equinoxes.

Mayan knowledge and understanding about celestial bodies were advanced for their
time, as evidenced by their knowledge of predicting eclipse and using astrological cycles
in planting and harvesting. The Mayans are also known for measuring time using two
complicated calendar systems. An everyday calendar with 13 months of 20 days each
was probably related to the appearance of the planet Venus. They built observatories so
their priests could watch the stars and plan. The best time for festivals, religious rituals
and cultural celebrations. The Mayans also developed the technology for growing
different crops and building elaborate cities using ordinary machineries and tools. They
built hydraulics system with sophisticated waterways to supply water to different
countries. Furthermore, they used various tools and adapt themselves to innovations
especially in the field of arts. The Mayans built rooms for weaving cloth and devised a
rainbow of glittery paints made from mineral called mica. They are also believed to be
one of the first people to produce rubber products 3,000 years before Goodyear received
patent in 1844. The Mayans are considered one of the most scientifically advanced
societies in Mesoamerica. They are also famous as one of the world’s first civilizations to
use a writing system known as the Mayan hieroglyphics. The Mayan hieroglyphic writing
is arguably one of the most visually striking writing systems of the world. It is also very
complex, with hundreds of unique signs or glyphs in the form of humans, animals,
supernatural, objects and abstract designs. They were also skilled in mathematics and
created a number system based on the numeral 20. Moreover, they independently
developed the concept of zero and positional value, even before the Romans did.
The Inca civilization is also famous in Mesoamerica. It is the largest empire in pre-
Columbian America, and possibly the largest empire in the world in the early 16th century. It
flourished in ancient Peru between c. 1400 and 1533 CE.

The Incas made

as an old civilization. The following were scientific ideas and tools that they

developed to help then in everyday life:

1. Roads paved with stones

2. Stone buildings that surmounted earthquakes and other disasters;

3. Irrigation system and technique for storing water for their crops to grow in all types of
land;

4. Calendar with 12 months to mark their religious festivals and prepare them for
planting season;

5. The first suspension bridge;

6. Quipu, a system of knotted ropes to keep record that only experts can interpret; and

7. Inca textiles since cloth were one of the specially prized artistic achievements
Aztec civilization has also made substantial contributions to science and technology and
to the society as a whole. The Aztec were an advanced and prosperous civilization who
built beautiful and sophisticated cities. The highly developed empire had an elaborate
leadership and society that consisted of four classes; nobles, commoners, serfs and
slaves. Some of their contributions are the following:

1. 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.

2. Chocolates – The Aztec in Mexico developed chocolate during their time. In the
Mayan culture, they used it as currency. The Aztec valued the cacao highly and made it
as part of their tribute to their gods.

3. Chinampa – It is a form of Aztec technology for agricultural farming in which the land
was divided into rectangular areas and surrounded by canals.

4. Aztec Calendar – This enabled them to plan their activities, rituals, and planting
seasons.

5. Invention of the Canoe – A light narrow boat used for travelling in water systems.

Egyptian civilization has contributed immensely and made significant advances in the
fields of astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. For example, the development of
geometry was a product of necessity to preserve the layout and ownership of farmlands
of the Egyptians living along the Nile River. The rules of geometry were developed and
used to build rectilinear structures, the post of lintel architecture of Egypt. These early
science activities in Egypt were developed to improve the quality of life of the Egyptians
especially in building their early homes and cities. The great structures of the Egyptian
pyramids and the early dams built to divert water from the Nile River are some proofs of
their advanced civilization. Egypt was known to be a center of alchemy, which is known
as the medieval forerunner of chemistry. They tried to study human anatomy and
pharmacology, and applied important components such as examinations, diagnosis,
treatment and prognosis for the treatment of diseases. These components displayed
strong parallels to the basic empirical method of studying science. Astronomy was also
famous in the African region. For instance, documents show that Africans used three
types of calendars: lunar, solar, and stellar, or a combination of the three.