April 15 took on a new meaning for me this year.

As I left the office Tuesday and headed to my tax accountant's office to give unto Caesar what is Caesar's, as it were, I had an "Aha!" moment: I was literally traveling between two of civilization's oldest and symbiotic professions-land surveying and tax collecting.

My research, this week, led me to make the connection. I was reading a brief story on a new study in Science magazine about Aztec math-the symbols they used and why they used them-and learned that even the Aztecs measured their land. The reason was so that the Aztec government could levy taxes and tribute. Some things never change.

The measuring of land and the collecting of taxes have gone hand in hand since the beginning of civilization, from ancient Mesopotamia to Mesoamerica to present day. And I'm sure the partnership will continue far, far into the future and probably even beyond the borders of our planet as we look to colonize Mars.

So, as I resigned myself to writing out my tribute check to Uncle Sam, I pondered this new realization. And, somehow, the pain of tax season was eased ... a little.

-Wendy Lyons, Associate Editor

The full story on Aztec math, "Aztec Math Used Hearts and Arrows," can be accessed from the Surveying in the Headlines link below.