From two distinct areas at opposite ends of North America, Mayan and Katovik numerals share a great deal of similarities in both design and function. While Katovik numerals were only recently created in 1994, it served a purpose to its community that previously had difficulty in expressing how they had been doing math. The Mayans on the other hand had been able to calculate an accurate calendar and track cycles of the moon and the sun. Both of these systems are a form of body-counting, where they are a base 20 system, sub-base 5. These were meant to represent all of our fingers and our toes. The main difference between these two systems, is that the Mayan numerals are a near perfect system, where they changed how a place value worked in order to work with their records more accurately. Ultimately despite the difference in geography and involvement in the modern era, both of these cultures created reliable systems that help understand the world around us.

Classification: 01A12 - History of mathematics of the indigenous cultures of the Americas