They Had A Highly Advanced Numeral System With Place Values
The Maya developed a very efficient numeral system that allowed them to represent huge numbers with ease. It only had three symbols: zero (a shell), one (a dot), and five (a number) (a bar). These three symbols were used to represent numerals from 0 to 19, while numbers following 19 were written vertically in powers of 20 using place values. As a result, the Maya adopted the base 20 or vigesimal number system. This system was similar to the one we use now because it used place values and zero. The second position in their vigesimal system had a value of 20 times the numeral, the third slot had 202 or 400 times the value, and so on. Shorthand was also utilized by the Maya to express enormous numbers, such as 2.4.1.9.9, in which the numerals 2,4,1,9, and 9 denote coefficients in front of powers of 20.
The Mayans devised two numeral systems: one for the regular people and one for the priests. These two systems not only used distinct symbols, but they also had different base systems. The number system for priests was determined by ritual. Because the days of the year were supposed to be gods, their formal insignia were ornamented heads, such as the one shown to the left. The priestly numeral system used a hybrid base system, combining multiples of 20 and 360, because the fundamental calendar was based on 360 days. This is one of the major achievements of the ancient Maya civilization.
