Are there any overdue discoveries ?

[Strange]

I don't know much about Mesoamerican history, but I assume it would be because it took longer for organised agriculture, permanent settlements and other aspects of civilization to develop. Writing has generally grown out of the needs of agriculture and trade so if these are later developing, then so is writing. Presumably low population density and the (relative) ease of hunter-gather lifestyle delayed the development.

 

Interesting to note that writing does not seem to be an "obvious" invention. It has only been invented three or four times (there is debate over whether writing in Egypt was a result of cultural diffusion from Sumeria).

[CharonY]

Interesting to note that writing does not seem to be an "obvious" invention. It has only been invented three or four times (there is debate over whether writing in Egypt was a result of cultural diffusion from Sumeria).

 

Considering how rarely written language has developed independently I would think that this is one of the largest factors. Also I think I read somewhere that writing in mesoamerica was not originally developed for accounting purposes, but had religious roots. But I may misremembering, of course.

[overtone]

 

 

Also I think I read somewhere that writing in mesoamerica was not originally developed for accounting purposes, but had religious roots. But I may misremembering, of course.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quipu

 

There are accounts of quipu being used to tell, or remind the teller, of narrative accounts, but they are anecdotal. The only solid translation of any of them so far has been as numerical records, counts and sums of counts, the kinds of records merchants and government officials would keep.

 

The Spanish burned them, by policy. No clearer indication of the purpose of the Spanish Conquest is imaginable.