List of Mexican inventions and discoveries

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Mexican inventions and discoveries are objects, processes or techniques invented or discovered, partially or entirely, by a person from Mexico. These also include concepts or practices introduced by Mexican people and their indigenous ancestors. Some of the objects, processes or techniques developed in the Pre-Columbian era were also invented or discovered independently in other cultures. This list shows only inventions and discoveries first introduced in present-day Mexican territory, or those that vary significantly in concept, figure, or use.

Contents

Pre-Hispanic

Musical instruments

A drawing from the 16th century Florentine Codex showing a One Flower ceremony with a teponaztli (foreground) and a huehuetl (background). Aztec drums, Florentine Codex..jpg
A drawing from the 16th century Florentine Codex showing a One Flower ceremony with a teponaztli (foreground) and a huehuetl (background).

Art

Wall painting in Teotihuacan. Wall painting in Teotihuacan.jpg
Wall painting in Teotihuacan.

Calendrics

Aztec Sun stone Monolito de la Piedra del Sol.jpg
Aztec Sun stone

Engineering

The Palace and aqueduct at Palenque The Palenque Palace Aqueduct Beautiful.jpg
The Palace and aqueduct at Palenque
Toilet in Teotihuacan. Toilet in Teotihuacan.jpg
Toilet in Teotihuacan.
The Palace Observation Tower at Palenque. The Observation Tower.jpg
The Palace Observation Tower at Palenque.

Metal production

Copper bells, axe heads and ornaments from various parts of Chiapas (1200-1500) on display at the Regional Museum in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas. CopperBellsAxesOrnamentsTuxtla.JPG
Copper bells, axe heads and ornaments from various parts of Chiapas (1200–1500) on display at the Regional Museum in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas.

The Olmec may have developed compasses for navigation and astronomical study that were made out of lodestones.

Games and entertainment

Food preparation

A tamal dulce breakfast tamal from Oaxaca, Mexico. It contains pineapple, raisins and blackberries. Tamal de zarzamoras.png
A tamal dulce breakfast tamal from Oaxaca, Mexico. It contains pineapple, raisins and blackberries.
Molcajete used to grind spices Spices being ground (8265483071).jpg
Molcajete used to grind spices

Crops and cultivation

Chia seed measuring 2 mm Seed of chia (Salvia hispanica)Salvia hispanica profile.jpg
Chia seed measuring 2 mm
Native Oaxaca criollo avocados, the ancestral form of today's domesticated varieties Criollo avocados de Oaxaca.png
Native Oaxaca criollo avocados, the ancestral form of today's domesticated varieties
One of the remaining chinampas in Xochimilco Chinampa.JPG
One of the remaining chinampas in Xochimilco

Livestock

Fashion

Page from the Codex Mendoza depicting warriors wearing Ichcahuipilli armor, and wielding fans and tepozli(spears). Codex Mendoza folio 67r.jpg
Page from the Codex Mendoza depicting warriors wearing Ichcahuipilli armor, and wielding fans and tepozli(spears).

Dog breeds

Artist Diego Rivera with a Xoloitzquintle at the Casa Azul Diego Rivera with a xoloitzcuintle dog in the Blue House, Coyoacan - Google Art Project.jpg
Artist Diego Rivera with a Xoloitzquintle at the Casa Azul

Body armor

Dentistry

Medication

Aztec Herbal Medicines [18]
Botanical nameNahuatl nameUses
Artemisia mexicana ItztuahyatlWeakness, colic, reduce fever; coughing
Bocconia frutescens CococxihuitlConstipation, abscesses, swelling
Bromelia pinguin Mexocotlheat blisters in the mouth
Carica papaya Chichihualxo-chitlLatex unripe fruit for rash ulcer; ripe fruit digestive
Casimiroa edulis Cochitzapotlsedative
Cassia occidentalis or Cassia alata TotoncaxihuitlAstringent, purgative, anthelmintic, relieves fever, inflammation of rashes
Chenopodium graveolens EpazotlAgainst dysentery, anthelmintic, helps asthmatics breathe
Euphorbia calyculata Cuauhtepatli; chupiriPurgative, skin ailments, mange, skin sores
Helianthus annuus Chilamacatlfever
Liquidambar styraciflua Ocotzotl; xochiocotzotl quanhxihuitlRashes, toothache, tonic for stomach
Montanoa tomentosa CihuapatliDiuretic, oxytocic, cures hydropesia
Passiflora jorullensis CoanenepilliCauses sweating, Diuretic, pain reliever, poisons and snake bites
Perezia adnata PipitzahuacPurgative, cathartic, coughing, sore throat
Persea americana Auacatl; ahuaca quahuitlAstringent, treat sores, remove scars
Pithecolobium dulce QuamochitlAstringent, causes sneezing, cures ulcers and sores
Plantago mexicana AcaxiloticVomit and cathartic
Plumbago pulchella Tlepatli; tletlematil; itzcuinpatliDiuretic, colic, gangrene
Psidium guajava XalxocotlDigestion, dysentery, mange
Rhamnus serrata TlalcapulinDysentery, bloody bowels
Salix lasiopelisQuetzalhuexotlStops blood from rectum, cures fever
Schoenocaulon coulteri; Veratrum frigidum ZoyoyaticCauses sneezing, kills mice/lice/flies
Smilax atristolochiaefolia MecapatliCauses sweating, diuretic, relieves joint pain
Tagetes erecta CempohualxochitlCauses sweating, cathartic, cures dropsy
Talauma mexicana yolloxochitlComforts heart, used against sterility
Theobroma cacao CacahuaquahuitlExcess diarrhea, can cause dizziness

Math

An illustration of the Pre-Columbian abacus: the Nepohualtzintzin Pulseras Nepohualtzintzin.jpg
An illustration of the Pre-Columbian abacus: the Nepohualtzintzin

Sports

A solid rubber ball used (or similar to those used) in the Mesoamerican ballgame, 300 BCE to 250 CE, Kaminaljuyu. The ball is 3 inches (almost 8 cm) in diameter, a size that suggests it was used to play a handball game. Behind the ball is a manopla, or handstone, which was used to strike the ball, 900 BCE to 250 CE, also from Kaminaljuyu. Mesoamerica - manopla and ball.jpg
A solid rubber ball used (or similar to those used) in the Mesoamerican ballgame, 300 BCE to 250 CE, Kaminaljuyu. The ball is 3 inches (almost 8 cm) in diameter, a size that suggests it was used to play a handball game. Behind the ball is a manopla, or handstone, which was used to strike the ball, 900 BCE to 250 CE, also from Kaminaljuyu.
This page from the Codex Tovar depicts a scene of gladiatorial sacrificial rite, celebrated on the festival of Tlacaxipehualiztli. Tovar Codex (folio 134).png
This page from the Codex Tovar depicts a scene of gladiatorial sacrificial rite, celebrated on the festival of Tlacaxipehualiztli.

Behavioral products

Chemical

Social

List of Maya numerals from 0 to 19 with underneath two vertically oriented examples Mayan numerals 0-19 & 2 vertical examples.gif
List of Maya numerals from 0 to 19 with underneath two vertically oriented examples

Commerce

Alcoholic beverages

Health and hygiene

Pictogram of an Aztec temazcal in the Codex Magliabechiano Codex Magliabechiano (folio 77r).jpg
Pictogram of an Aztec temazcal in the Codex Magliabechiano

Astronomy

Maya observatory: El Caracol Chichen Itza 4.jpg
Maya observatory: El Caracol

Colonial

Industrial

Economy

Spanish dollar coin minted in Mexico City c. 1809 Spanish Dollar, minted in Mexico City 1809.jpg
Spanish dollar coin minted in Mexico City c.1809

Food

Quesadillas served at a Friendly's restaurant in New Jersey Dinner at Friendlys restaurant quesedillas.jpg
Quesadillas served at a Friendly's restaurant in New Jersey

Music and musical instruments

George and Laura Bush at the White House with Mariachi Campanas de America. President George W. Bush and Laura Bush pose for photos with singer Shaila Durcal, Dorio Ferreira Sanchez and the Mariachi Campanas de America.jpg
George and Laura Bush at the White House with Mariachi Campanas de América.

Alcoholic beverages

Sports

A Charro making a risky "suerte" (Trick). CHARRO HACIENDO SUERTES CON SU REATA.jpg
A Charro making a risky "suerte" (Trick).

Fashion

Ranching and farming

Chemical

Modern

Construction and civil engineering

A tridilosa, in the ceiling of the Terminal Central de Autobuses del Norte, Mexico Tridilosa.JPG
A tridilosa, in the ceiling of the Terminal Central de Autobuses del Norte, Mexico

Chemical

Antidotes

Pharmaceutical

Automotive

Mastretta MXT side Mastretta-MXT-lg.jpg
Mastretta MXT side

Transport

Aviation

Firearms

The influence of the G36 receiver, AK styled gas piston and Mexican recoil delaying system can all be seen in this partial cut away of a first generation FX-05 Xiuhcoatl. FX-05 Cutaway.jpg
The influence of the G36 receiver, AK styled gas piston and Mexican recoil delaying system can all be seen in this partial cut away of a first generation FX-05 Xiuhcoatl.

Military technology

Veracruz (fore) and Guanajuato (rear) at Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico ARM Veracruz Progeso.jpg
Veracruz (fore) and Guanajuato (rear) at Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico

Music and musical instruments

Students at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Mexico City dancing in the quebradita style CCMDonation98.jpg
Students at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Mexico City dancing in the quebradita style

Fashion

Art

Food

Nachos with cheese, chicken, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole NachosAtAngelStadium.jpg
Nachos with cheese, chicken, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole

Games and celebration

A nine-pointed star pinata PINATA.jpg
A nine-pointed star piñata

Dog breeds

Alcoholic beverages

Modern technologies

A mouse and mousepad HP mouse and mousepad 20060803.jpg
A mouse and mousepad

Communications

Sports

Padel area at ISPO 2014 Padel Tennis Arena ISPO 2014.jpg
Padel area at ISPO 2014

Political

Industrial

Tortilla machine Maquinas-Tortilladoras N 1.jpg
Tortilla machine

Medical

Discoveries

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toltec</span> Pre-columbian civilization in Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico

The Toltec culture was a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican culture that ruled a state centered in Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico, during the Epiclassic and the early Post-Classic period of Mesoamerican chronology, reaching prominence from 950 to 1150 CE. The later Aztec culture considered the Toltec to be their intellectual and cultural predecessors and described Toltec culture emanating from Tōllān as the epitome of civilization. In the Nahuatl language the word Tōltēkatl (singular) or Tōltēkah (plural) came to take on the meaning "artisan". The Aztec oral and pictographic tradition also described the history of the Toltec Empire, giving lists of rulers and their exploits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olmecs</span> Earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization

The Olmecs were the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization. Following a progressive development in Soconusco, they occupied the tropical lowlands of the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco. It has been speculated that the Olmecs derived in part from the neighboring Mokaya or Mixe–Zoque cultures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pre-Columbian era</span> The Americas prior to European influence

In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage in 1492. This era encompasses the history of Indigenous cultures prior to significant European influence, which in some cases did not occur until decades or even centuries after Columbus's arrival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesoamerican chronology</span> Divides the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into several periods

Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of prehispanic Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian ; the Archaic, the Preclassic or Formative (2500 BCE – 250 CE), the Classic (250–900 CE), and the Postclassic (900–1521 CE); as well as the post European contact Colonial Period (1521–1821), and Postcolonial, or the period after independence from Spain (1821–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesoamerican calendars</span>

The calendrical systems devised and used by the pre-Columbian cultures of Mesoamerica, primarily a 260-day year, were used in religious observances and social rituals, such as divination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesoamerican languages</span> Languages indigenous to Mesoamerica

Mesoamerican languages are the languages indigenous to the Mesoamerican cultural area, which covers southern Mexico, all of Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and parts of Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The area is characterized by extensive linguistic diversity containing several hundred different languages and seven major language families. Mesoamerica is also an area of high linguistic diffusion in that long-term interaction among speakers of different languages through several millennia has resulted in the convergence of certain linguistic traits across disparate language families. The Mesoamerican sprachbund is commonly referred to as the Mesoamerican Linguistic Area.

<span title="Classical Nahuatl-language text"><i lang="nci">Tzompantli</i></span> Rack or palisade that displays human skulls

A tzompantli or skull rack was a type of wooden rack or palisade documented in several Mesoamerican civilizations, which was used for the public display of human skulls, typically those of war captives or other sacrificial victims. It is a scaffold-like construction of poles on which heads and skulls were placed after holes had been made in them. Many have been documented throughout Mesoamerica, and range from the Epiclassic through early Post-Classic. In 2015 archeologists announced the discovery of the Huey Tzompantli, with more than 650 skulls, in the archeological zone of the Templo Mayor in Mexico City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesoamerican pyramids</span> Prominent architectural features of ancient Mesoamerican civilizations

Mesoamerican pyramids form a prominent part of ancient Mesoamerican architecture. Although similar in some ways to Egyptian pyramids, these New World structures have flat tops and stairs ascending their faces, more similar to ancient Mesopotamian Ziggurats. The largest pyramid in the world by volume is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, in the east-central Mexican state of Puebla. The builders of certain classic Mesoamerican pyramids have decorated them copiously with stories about the Hero Twins, the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl, Mesoamerican creation myths, ritualistic sacrifice, etc. written in the form of Maya script on the rises of the steps of the pyramids, on the walls, and on the sculptures contained within.

Tonal is a concept within the study of Mesoamerican religion, myth, folklore and anthropology. It is a belief found in many indigenous Mesoamerican cultures that a person upon being born acquires a close spiritual link to an animal, a link that lasts throughout the lives of both creatures. The person shows signs of whatever the animal's situation, to include scratches and bruises if the animal gets in fights, or illness if the animal is ill. It is in this way similar to the concept of Totem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesoamerica</span> Pre-Columbian cultural area in the Americas

Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and parts of Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. As a cultural area, Mesoamerica is defined by a mosaic of cultural traits developed and shared by its indigenous cultures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Mesoamerica</span>

The geography of Mesoamerica describes the geographic features of Mesoamerica, a culture area in the Americas inhabited by complex indigenous pre-Columbian cultures exhibiting a suite of shared and common cultural characteristics. Several well-known Mesoamerican cultures include the Olmec, Teotihuacan, the Maya, the Aztec and the Purépecha. Mesoamerica is often subdivided in a number of ways. One common method, albeit a broad and general classification, is to distinguish between the highlands and lowlands. Another way is to subdivide the region into sub-areas that generally correlate to either culture areas or specific physiographic regions.

Mesoamerica, along with Mesopotamia and China, is one of three known places in the world where writing is thought to have developed independently. Mesoamerican scripts deciphered to date are a combination of logographic and syllabic systems. They are often called hieroglyphs due to the iconic shapes of many of the glyphs, a pattern superficially similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs. Fifteen distinct writing systems have been identified in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, many from a single inscription. The limits of archaeological dating methods make it difficult to establish which was the earliest and hence the progenitor from which the others developed. The best documented and deciphered Mesoamerican writing system, and the most widely known, is the classic Maya script. Earlier scripts with poorer and varying levels of decipherment include the Olmec hieroglyphs, the Zapotec script, and the Isthmian script, all of which date back to the 1st millennium BC. An extensive Mesoamerican literature has been conserved, partly in indigenous scripts and partly in postconquest transcriptions in the Latin script.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesoamerican architecture</span> Building traditions of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica

Mesoamerican architecture is the set of architectural traditions produced by pre-Columbian cultures and civilizations of Mesoamerica, traditions which are best known in the form of public, ceremonial and urban monumental buildings and structures. The distinctive features of Mesoamerican architecture encompass a number of different regional and historical styles, which however are significantly interrelated. These styles developed throughout the different phases of Mesoamerican history as a result of the intensive cultural exchange between the different cultures of the Mesoamerican culture area through thousands of years. Mesoamerican architecture is mostly noted for its pyramids, which are the largest such structures outside of Ancient Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feathered Serpent</span> Mesoamerican concept

The Feathered Serpent is a prominent supernatural entity or deity, found in many Mesoamerican religions. It is still called Quetzalcoatl among the Aztecs, Kukulkan among the Yucatec Maya, and Q'uq'umatz and Tohil among the K'iche' Maya.

Olmec hieroglyphs are a set of glyphs developed within the Olmec culture. The Olmecs were the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization, flourishing during the formative period in the tropical lowlands of the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco. The subsequent Epi-Olmec culture, was a successor culture to the Olmec and featured the Isthmian script, which has been characterized as a full-fledged writing system, though with its partial decipherment being disputed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pre-Columbian Mexico</span> Mexico before Spanish colonization

The pre-Columbian history of the territory now making up the country of Mexico is known through the work of archaeologists and epigraphers, and through the accounts of Spanish conquistadores, settlers and clergymen as well as the indigenous chroniclers of the immediate post-conquest period.

Mesoamerican religion is a group of indigenous religions of Mesoamerica that were prevalent in the pre-Columbian era. Two of the most widely known examples of Mesoamerican religion are the Aztec religion and the Mayan religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Choapas (archaeological site)</span> Archaeological site in Mexico

Las Choapas is a recently found archaeological site located within the municipality of Las Choapas, in the southeastern border of the Veracruz State, inside the San Miguel de Allende Ejido, bordering the municipalities of Huimanguillo, Tabasco and Ostuacán, in Chiapas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantean figures</span>

The Atlantean figures are four anthropomorphic statues belonging to the Toltec culture in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. These figures are "massive statues of Toltec warriors". They take their post-Columbian name from the European tradition of similar Atlas or Atalante figures in classical architecture.

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