What technology was available to the Aztec/Maya empires at their height?

[Tristissima]

I am working on a new campaign world and am thinking of making it fairly Mesoamerican-influenced. I realize that technology is an important factor in cultural development, but the Aztecs and Maya are not my area of expertise.

So please help me, EN Kenobi. You are my only hope!

What kinds of technology were available to these two, highly-ignored great empires? They didn't have metal, right? And had highly-advanced astronomy and calendars? What else?

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

They were cracker-jack open-heart surgeons.

Not my area of expertise, either, but as I recall, they excelled in astronomy, mathematics, and engineering. They also did some pretty neat stuff agriculturally, using primitive terraforming techniques to create arable land. The most notable difference would be that there were no beasts of burden or wheeled vehicles/carts/what have you.

 

[HinterWelt]

Talking about the Maya

More than just advanced calendar it was a means of prediction and the center of their beliefs. Certain days were unlucky as each day had its own patron god. Some gods were evil or bad luck while others were blessings. For this reason, the calendar wheel was very important and priests were tasked with keeping the calaendar and advising when it was good to marry, what it meant to be born on a certain day, and when sacrifices were to be made.

Also, in terms of agriculture, they would take swamp land and create irragated islands that had canals flowing through them. Very efficient and effective for millet and corn. They also had advanced writing techniques and kept very detailed histories. This is one of the reasons they had such advanced astronomy, they made observations of the Grand Machine that they viewed the universe as being. To do so was an attempt to understand the Machine, map its movements and this be able to predict the future. The Temple at Chitchen Itza was built as an observatory (or so it is believed).

And yes, I intend to write a book in 2006 about the Maya. It will be part of the Atlantis Found series and should be a lot of fun.

Bill

 

[The_Universe]

I have it on good authority that all meso-american cultures excelled in the manufacture of magical crystal skulls.

 

[SWBaxter]

What kinds of technology were available to these two, highly-ignored great empires? They didn't have metal, right? And had highly-advanced astronomy and calendars? What else?

As mentioned, some very advanced agricultural techniques. They also had reasonably advanced textiles - the Spaniards were pretty impressed with Aztec cotton armour, for example. They knew how to work the metals they had available (gold, for example), they just didn't have access to many metals that could be used for farm tools or warfare.

You might want to consider the Inca, too - South American rather than Meso-American, but they had a bigger empire with better access to metals (used copper tools and weapons, IIRC).

 

[Mark CMG]

These might help -

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads

Specifically these downloads -

Maztica (18.4mb) (description)

FMA1, Fires of Zatal (6.5mb) (description)

FMA2, Endless Armies (2.3mb) (description)

FMQ1, City of Gold (7.6mb) (description)

Have fun and good luck!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

While they didn't have a lot of hard metals, they had access to some nice stones to work with.

Jade, tougher than some grades of steel, was sometimes fashioned into axe-heads, mace heads and sword-like clubs.

Obsidian, flaked to blades of monomolecular thickness made for NASTY arrowheads and "razor-clubs"- clubs with blades of obsidian or animal-teeth imbedded in them- excellent for shredding flesh and many armors of the indigenous peoples.

 

[Ceresco]

They DIDN'T have the wheel.

For good insight into the Mayan cosmology and the importance of astronomy I reccommend "Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years On THe Shaman's Path" by Freidel, Schele and Parker. Published 1993. I have seen it in paperback at major book retailers. It explains how the Mayans looked at the rotation of the Milkyway and how it tells the story of the Mayan creation myth.

Hope that will help.

 

[Mark CMG]

They DIDN'T have the wheel.

For good insight into the Mayan cosmology and the importance of astronomy I reccommend "Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years On THe Shaman's Path" by Freidel, Schele and Parker. Published 1993. I have seen it in paperback at major book retailers. It explains how the Mayans looked at the rotation of the Milkyway and how it tells the story of the Mayan creation myth.

Hope that will help.

By two of the same authors, and published in 1990 (a few years earlier), I have A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya (by Linda Schele and David Freidel). It's facinating but I'd imagine a lot of strides have been taken since then in regard to the interpretation of Mayan hieroglyphics. I'm certainly not up to date. However, the layout of the book lends itself well to the fleshing out of a meso-American campaign based on Mayan culture.


*edit* Oh, and to echo Ceresco's initial statement, what we know primarily about the technology of the Maya comes from we know they didn't have as opposed to much of what we know they did have. At least, that's my, admittedly dated, impression.

 

[mythusmage]

In a nutshell, the Mayans and the Aztecs (who came later) were advanced neolithic societies. Another neolithic society we much admire are the 1st through 5th dynasty Egyptians. The ones who constructed the pyramids at Giza.

I don't think the Mayans ever used metal tools. Lack of resources, and they got along without them. Before their culture could advance to the point metal tools became necessary their agriculture collapsed (climate and environment) and they went back to a tribal/village society.

The Aztecs nearly got to the point where metal would be necessary, but the Spaniards showed up and made a few changes.

On the other hand, the Inca were using arsenic bronze and trying out bronze itself. While, way up north, the Indians of the southern Michigan area were starting to work with iron around the time Columbus made his first voyage. But things hadn't gotten much beyond decorations when the first Europeans arrived in the area, because there was no perceived need for iron tools.

The Mesoamericans are a great example of how far people can get without metals or large draft animals.