Maya astronomy

Maya astronomy is the study of the stars, planets, sun, and other astronomical occurrences by the Precolumbian Maya Civilization of Mesoamerica. The Classic Maya in particular saw the Maya develop some of the most accurate pre-telescope astronomy in the world, aided by their fully developed writing system and their positional numeral system, both of which are fully indigenous to Mesoamerica. The Classic Maya understood of many astronomical phenomena: For example, their estimate of the length of the synodic month being more accurate than Ptolemy's, and their calculation as to the length of the tropical solar year was more accurate than that of the Spanish when the latter first arrived.