@wyatt_h_knott Actually, the Aztecs invented rubber, which was re-invented in the 1800s. I just found out about that myself.

Aztec, Maya Were Rubber-Making Masters?

Ancients blended plant juices to get bouncier or tougher rubber, study says.

By Rachel Kaufman
Published June 30, 2010

"Ancient civilizations in much of #Mexico and #CentralAmerica were making different grades of rubber 3,000 years before Charles #Goodyear 'stabilized' the stuff in the mid-19th century, new research suggests.

"The #Aztec, #Olmec, and #Maya of #Mesoamerica are known to have made rubber using natural latex—a milky, sap-like fluid found in some plants. Mesoamerica extends roughly from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua.

"Ancient rubber makers harvested #latex from #RubberTrees and mixed it with juice from #MorningGlory vines, which contains a chemical that makes the solidified latex less brittle."

Read more:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/100628-science-ancient-maya-aztec-rubber-balls-beheaded

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/XMpwr

#AncientTechnology #SolarPunkSunday #TraditionalTechnology #IndigenousHistory