A concept of the world that could explain the qualities of its great mathematicians, astronomers, engineers, architects, sculptors, that are, paradoxically, universally recognized.
Because everyone agrees in asserting: the ancient inhabitants of Mesoamerica were distinguished engineers and architects; as is proven by the unparalleled works of the temples and plazas built as if by miracle, in forests or in summits turned into plains, in marshes converted into sound land. There is an amazing use of spaces and masses, as if they were a type of cosmic music in which blocks of silence alternate to perfection with harmonious apertures to silence.
They were, likewise, incomparable mathematicians, as is attested by their calculations, and understood the notion of zero, the measurability of movement, according to positions of before and after.
They were, also, admittedly and irrefutably, able astronomers, familiar with the motion of celestial bodies, the laws that dictate the advancement and retrocession of planets, the cyclical progression of stars, the weaning and waxing of the moon. These were all known to them by reason and experience; and their time measurement allowed them to calculate, with accuracy, and in minute detail, endless projections of calendar dates.
No one denies them the ability to create, in works that have, later on, been deemed to be art, symbolic or realistic images of in clay, wood, metal, stone, of unparalleled quality. The colors they utilized have come down to us in a multiplicity of objects whose plastic values effectively transmit the testimony of their willingness to be. They were, as is universally recognized, artful masters of techniques that have not, to date, been fully explained.
It is rightfully assumed that they had a wise, stratified, social organization, hierarchized, based on sound moral principles, according to which common life daily living took place orderly and safely with order and safety.
It is known that they spoke rich languages which could express concepts of maximum abstraction, and contained nuances capable of soundly expressing, directly and metaphorically, the languages of science, philosophy and poetic expressions. All this and more, not easily listed here, is admitted by everyone as obvious and plausible.
 | This page was originally published in Spanish, and is translated by Wikisource editors. It does not use the proofread page system traditionally; it is used to verify translation. Proofreading and validation must be done by editors who are fluent in both the original and the translated language. Follow the interwiki link under In other languages to view this page in Spanish. |  |
