From 2500 BCE until the arrival of the Spanish to the new world, the Mayan civilization thrived in Mexico's southern states and the Yucatan peninsula. Industrious and advanced, the Mayan devised very modern ways to manage time and space. Their calendars, construction methods and irrigation systems were as accurate and dependable as what we use today - much more slow-moving, of course, but without the excessive reliance on non-degradable plastics and toxic chemicals.

A NYDesigns staffer, who recently returned from a trip to the Riviera Maya (tanned and brimming with tequila), introduced the point that Mayan artists were one of the few artisan groups in prehistory to sign their work, allowing each vase or urn or incense burner to carry a maker's imprimatur. This personalization existed in a social system that encouraged variety and experimentation in the types of things that were being made. Differences in "style" among individual artisans and whole workshops were valued. Finished work was exchanged or sold within the community or with other cities.

Work that's signed by its maker can always be traced back. A vase by Aj Muwan, an actual Mayan ceramic artist of renown back in the day, does not belong to the city or the culture at large. Wherever the piece ends up (and as long as the signature is there, marked on the piece in writing or as a recognizable "style") it carries an essence of personhood. This understanding of product creation allows for the cultural acceptance of individuality and genius, which is eventually tagged with an exchange value . Aj Muwan was enthusiastically collected by the Mayan elite much like a Jeff Koons or a Richard Serra.

A long history separates this original practice from consumer brands and the "branding" that we know and love. Its important to remember, despite our distance from the Mayans, that when we put a name to a piece of work, we must be confident of its worth, at least in our eyes. Whether we like it or not, our products are the only thing that can defend us when we're not around to defend ourselves.