years ahead of time. Most amazing of all, they accurately described the Orion Nebula more than a thousand years before it was officially discovered by a French astronomer in 1610.’
‘How did they do that?’
Hamilton shrugged. ‘No one knows, but there’s evidence to prove it.’
‘What about maths?’ she asked.
‘What about it?’
‘If the Maya could calculate solar cycles with that much accuracy, I’m guessing they had advanced knowledge of maths.’
His smile widened. ‘Now you’re thinking! The Maya were very advanced in mathematics. In fact, they were one of the first civilizations to develop the concept of zero.’
‘Really? That seems pretty basic to me.’
‘To us, it is! But that wasn’t the case in ancient times. Believe it or not, the greatest scholars in ancient Greece struggled with the status of zero as a number. To them, it wasn’t about maths. It was about philosophy. They constantly debated how
nothing
could actually be
something
.’
She laughed at the thought. ‘Ancient Greeks loved their debates.’
‘But they weren’t the only ones who struggled with zero. So did the Romans, Egyptians and Babylonians – which is saying something because the Babylonians were doing algebra two thousand years before Christ.’
The mere mention of Christ grabbed Maria’s attention. As an expert in Christian history, she prayed Hamilton would shift the conversation to her comfort zone because she was dying to know what her role in his project would be. But that didn’t happen. Instead, he changed the topic to agriculture and the Maya’s advanced methods of food production.
‘As you probably know, the Maya relied on three main crops to survive: maize, squash and beans. In this part of the world, those staples are referred to as the “three sisters” because they complement each other in the ground and in one’s diet. Unfortunately, growing those crops on a large-scale basis is more difficult than you’d think. To combat pH problems, the Maya introduced ash to the ground, which raised the level of phosphorus and other nutrients in the soil. They utilized crop rotation and raised field techniques that are still used to this day. They also built extensive canal systems that can still be seen in aerial pictures of the jungle.’
Maria grimaced. ‘The jungle? What are they doing in the jungle?’
‘Nothing. They’re just sitting there.’
‘No, that’s not what I meant. Why were they built in the jungle?’
‘Aha! Now we’re getting close.’
‘We are?’
He nodded. ‘We’re finally going to discuss the most blatant error in your initial summation of the Maya.’
‘Which error was that?’
‘The part where you claimed the Maya faded away
after
the conquistadores.’
‘That’s not correct?’
He shook his head. ‘Believe it or not, the Maya started to disappear in the ninth century, nearly seven hundred years before the Spanish arrived.’
‘Wait,’ she said, confused. ‘What do you mean by
disappear
?’
Hamilton smiled. ‘One day they were here, and the next they were gone.’
10
Despite her doctorate in history, Maria was unfamiliar with the ninth-century disappearance of the Maya. As far as she knew, the Spanish had conquered them in the 1500s.
Hamilton noticed the confusion in her eyes. ‘Perhaps I was a bit melodramatic when I said the Maya disappeared. They didn’t vanish into thin air. At least, I don’t think they did.’
‘Then what happened?’
‘The truth is no one knows. But sometime around 850 AD, the Maya abandoned most of their major cities. No rhyme, no reason, no explanation of any kind. The Maya simply left and didn’t come back. Within months, their cities were swallowed by vegetation. That’s why so many canals and temples are still being found in the jungle. Sites from Mexico to Guatemala were deserted seven hundred years before the Spanish arrived, so explorers don’t know where to look. Who knows what could still be out there
‘How did they do that?’
Hamilton shrugged. ‘No one knows, but there’s evidence to prove it.’
‘What about maths?’ she asked.
‘What about it?’
‘If the Maya could calculate solar cycles with that much accuracy, I’m guessing they had advanced knowledge of maths.’
His smile widened. ‘Now you’re thinking! The Maya were very advanced in mathematics. In fact, they were one of the first civilizations to develop the concept of zero.’
‘Really? That seems pretty basic to me.’
‘To us, it is! But that wasn’t the case in ancient times. Believe it or not, the greatest scholars in ancient Greece struggled with the status of zero as a number. To them, it wasn’t about maths. It was about philosophy. They constantly debated how
nothing
could actually be
something
.’
She laughed at the thought. ‘Ancient Greeks loved their debates.’
‘But they weren’t the only ones who struggled with zero. So did the Romans, Egyptians and Babylonians – which is saying something because the Babylonians were doing algebra two thousand years before Christ.’
The mere mention of Christ grabbed Maria’s attention. As an expert in Christian history, she prayed Hamilton would shift the conversation to her comfort zone because she was dying to know what her role in his project would be. But that didn’t happen. Instead, he changed the topic to agriculture and the Maya’s advanced methods of food production.
‘As you probably know, the Maya relied on three main crops to survive: maize, squash and beans. In this part of the world, those staples are referred to as the “three sisters” because they complement each other in the ground and in one’s diet. Unfortunately, growing those crops on a large-scale basis is more difficult than you’d think. To combat pH problems, the Maya introduced ash to the ground, which raised the level of phosphorus and other nutrients in the soil. They utilized crop rotation and raised field techniques that are still used to this day. They also built extensive canal systems that can still be seen in aerial pictures of the jungle.’
Maria grimaced. ‘The jungle? What are they doing in the jungle?’
‘Nothing. They’re just sitting there.’
‘No, that’s not what I meant. Why were they built in the jungle?’
‘Aha! Now we’re getting close.’
‘We are?’
He nodded. ‘We’re finally going to discuss the most blatant error in your initial summation of the Maya.’
‘Which error was that?’
‘The part where you claimed the Maya faded away
after
the conquistadores.’
‘That’s not correct?’
He shook his head. ‘Believe it or not, the Maya started to disappear in the ninth century, nearly seven hundred years before the Spanish arrived.’
‘Wait,’ she said, confused. ‘What do you mean by
disappear
?’
Hamilton smiled. ‘One day they were here, and the next they were gone.’
10
Despite her doctorate in history, Maria was unfamiliar with the ninth-century disappearance of the Maya. As far as she knew, the Spanish had conquered them in the 1500s.
Hamilton noticed the confusion in her eyes. ‘Perhaps I was a bit melodramatic when I said the Maya disappeared. They didn’t vanish into thin air. At least, I don’t think they did.’
‘Then what happened?’
‘The truth is no one knows. But sometime around 850 AD, the Maya abandoned most of their major cities. No rhyme, no reason, no explanation of any kind. The Maya simply left and didn’t come back. Within months, their cities were swallowed by vegetation. That’s why so many canals and temples are still being found in the jungle. Sites from Mexico to Guatemala were deserted seven hundred years before the Spanish arrived, so explorers don’t know where to look. Who knows what could still be out there
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