title: Mathematical accuracy of Aztec land surveys assessed from records in the Codex Vergara.
abstract: Land surveying in ancient states is documented not only for Eurasia but also for the Americas, amply attested by two Acolhua-Aztec pictorial manuscripts from the Valley of Mexico. The Codex Vergara and the Códice de Santa María Asunción consist of hundreds of drawings of agricultural fields that uniquely record surface areas as well as perimeter measurements. A previous study of the Codex Vergara examines how Acolhua-Aztecs determined field area by reconstructing their calculation procedures. Here we evaluate the accuracy of their area values using modern mathematics. The findings verify the overall mathematical validity of the codex records. Three-quarters of the areas are within 5% of the maximum possible value, and 85% are within 10%, which compares well with reported errors by Western surveyors that postdate Aztec-Acolhua work by several centuries.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones en Matemáticas Aplicadas y en Sistemas and Proyecto Universitario de Fenómenos No Lineales y Mecánica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico DF, Mexico.
authors.forename: María del Carmen
authors.initials: Mdel C
authors.lastname: Jorge
authors.forename: Barbara J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Garza-Hume
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olvera
mesh_terms: D018436:Ancient Lands; D003625:Data Collection; D005006:Ethnicity; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011996:Records