The ancient Mayan’s were a highly sophisticated people from what is now Guatemala. The Mayans were highly skilled in agriculture, architecture, and astronomy. Though many of the books written by the Mayans were burned by Christian monks in the 1500’s, a few survived, including one known as the Dresden Codex. The Dresden Codex is a Mayan book made from tree bark, detailing astronomical phenomena in their days. The codex is 11.5 feet in length, made up into 39 sheets. One of the biggest problems in modern times with the Dresden codex, is that many scholars have tried to place specific dates in correlation with dates on the Christian calendar. Today, the Dresden codex is housed in a state library in Dresden, Germany. An exact replica is housed in the National Archaeological Museum in Guatemala City.

Throughout the ages, several types of rocks and minerals were prized for their beauty and worth, but one was held above all others in many cultures, and still is today. It’s not gold, it’s salt. In ancient times, many cultures thrived at the edges of oceans and seas, giving them an endless supply of salt. In ancient Rome and Greece, salt was used as a type of currency, and slaves were known to bought with salt which is where the term “worth his salt” came from. Salt is even mentioned in the Bible in the story of Lot. According to the ancient Hebrews, when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt due to looking back at the ruined cities. Recent excavations in Mexico have turned up more than 40 salt manufacturing sites along the coast, where ancient Mayans produced the substance for the thousands of people throughout their country. Though we take it for granted today, salt has been one of the biggest commodities throughout history.