Illustrations showing how the Mayas used the Mesoamerican bar and dot number system for mathematics

Date of origination: 1200–400 B.C.E.

The bar and dot system of writing numbers was in use in Mesoamerica as far back as the Olmec civilization (1200–400 B.C.E.) and prevailed in a wide variety of regions. The bar and dot number system was devised in conjunction with the Mesoamerican calendar systems (see Sacred Calendar and Long Count entries). Perhaps one of the most notable features of the Mesoamerican number system and mathematics is the value of zero, which developed around 400 B.C.E. Mesoamericans were among the earliest civilizations to use the concept of zero. The Olmec,...