In battle between science and religion, it is hard to picture a time when the public opinion was not torn apart in this struggle for supremacy. It is not uncommon to spend the majority of a life trying to find a careful balance between maintaining moral faith without becoming ignorant of the latest science theories. It is easy to see why many remove themselves from the fierce warfare of this issue and assume a neutral point of view. As unlikely as it seems though, there was a time before the controversy. A time when both religion and science strived toward the same goal: to understand and explain the mysteries of the world. The early Mesoamerican culture of the Maya was renowned for their intellectual advances in many areas of science and technology. However, upon further investigation, many of their experiments were often partially motivated by their belief system. Religious elements make prominent appearances throughout their discoveries in astronomy, accomplishments in architecture and in the development of the Mayan calendar. Despite a common contemporary belief that the progress of science is hindered by religion – an example of such, as with Galileo – the greatest technological advancements of the Maya had a significant connection to their religious beliefs.
The Maya were considered among the greatest astronomers of the ancient world. It can be argued, however, that it was their fixation on their own fate that compelled them to turn towards the heavens for answers. As seen in the Mayan records of the codices, the Maya were able to predict with great accuracy the cycles of the Sun, Moon, Venus and possibly the other planets. They interpreted this knowledge as messages from the heavens and used the cycles to predict the futu...
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...hey were dedicated and determined to solving the unknown. Although their attempts to decode the future may seem initially seem foolish, when considering all the facts it appears quite the opposite. Their systematically and meticulously organized attempts at unravelling the future proves that they were a practical yet, thoughtful culture. They only wanted to be prepared and informed. Through the Maya calendar, astronomical recordings and architectural tributes were all examples of the desire to understand the reason and purpose of life. It cannot be considered foolish to question human existence. For no matter the standing in the science versus religion spectrum, this has always and will always be life’s ultimate quest
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Bowers R., Brown E, Sadru D., Eichorn D., Goering-Boone U., Last A., Mustoe F., et al. Physics 11. Toronto, ON: Addison Wesley.