Aztec: Woes of Ancient Tax Time

Aztec tax math decoded

Today's tax codes are complicated, but the ancient Aztecs likely shared your pain. To measure tracts of taxable land, Aztec mathematicians had to develop their own specialized arithmetic, which has only now been decoded.

Maybe they reincarnated and worked for the IRS writing the instruction manuals for taxpayers? Some sections there really COULD be Aztec, as difficult as they are to decypher. I'm sure the tax penalties were fairly unpleasant!

It's interesting that they came up with the same algorithm (or one of them) as another highly mathematical ancient civilization, the Sumerians. It does speak volumes about their interest in math and measurement, unlike so many other civilizations.

It is interesting that people all around the world often faced a similar problem and often came up with the same solution.

Money/wealth seems to have been a 'driver" for the development of writing and math.

Have you read the study of how the Sumerian mathematical system arose out of the use of tokens?