I often hear it stated that many pre-Columbian cultures (especially the Maya) had a well developed knowledge of mathematics, but I've had a hard time finding good information about precisely what kinds of mathematics they were able to do.
It does seem like a lot of their math was related to their study of astronomy, like the Greeks. Is there any evidence that they had any knowledge of, for example, trigonometry or conics? (both of which started in the West as tools for Greek astronomy)
I would be especially grateful if anyone would be able to recommend some good books on this topic!
You'll find some good discussion on it in this recent thread. Certainly it doesn't cover everything, so I, for one, am willing and able to extrapolate or answer more specific questions.