Zero in the Americas: Stela 2 at Chiapa de Corzo, 36 BC (Chiapas, Mexico)
Record: the document says itPattern: documents line upLens: our readingOpen: not yet proven
Year: 2026 · Places: Mexico, Central America
SUMMARYZero in the Americas: Stela 2 at Chiapa de Corzo, 36 BC (Chiapas, Mexico) [Connections: Tech of the Americas, Nov 5, 2026]
RECORDWikipedia ("0"): the earliest Long Count date implying zero is on Stela 2 at Chiapa de Corzo, which "has a date of 36 BC"; a footnote adds "No long count date actually using the number 0 has been found before the 3rd century AD." Zero was "possibly the invention of the Olmecs," was written with a shell-shaped glyph, and worked as a placeholder in a base-20 positional system. The article places Brahmagupta's treatment of zero in the 7th century
PATTERNA positional zero developed in the Americas independently of the Old World
LENS (WW9)Count from zero, count from here
OPENWhether Maya scribes used zero as a number in its own right (not just a placeholder) is debated; the fetched page does not say so