Astronomy and Architecture in the Maya Lowlands

Abstract

This article summarises recent systematic research into the use and significance of astronomical orientations in ancient Maya architecture, and shows how by applying a more rigorous methodology to a large number of orientations we were able to detect alignment patterns that shed light on the validity of former hypotheses and provide a basis for novel interpretations. Our measurements and analysis confirm that orientations to the Sun’s position on the horizon, which largely prevail, allowed the use of observational calendars composed of multiples of 13 and 20 days and were also intended to facilitate proper scheduling of agricultural activities. Further, while some buildings recorded Venus extremes, a previously unknown orientation group has been found to refer to major lunar standstill positions. Some important buildings, aside from exhibiting astronomical orientations, are aligned to prominent features of natural or cultural landscape, implying a deliberate selection of these places for their construction. Discussing some relevant contextual evidence, we argue that Maya architectural and urban planning was dictated by a complex set of rules, in which astronomical considerations and their practical uses were embedded in a broader framework of cosmological concepts.

Equinoctial Sun and Astronomical Alignments in Mesoamerican Architecture: Fiction and Fact

“…One of them is that the Mesoamerican buildings were commonly oriented to sunrises or sunsets on the equinoxes. The purpose of this contribution, which extends preliminary arguments presented in an earlier study (Šprajc and Sánchez 2013), is to assess the validity of this belief in the light of the current state of research.…”

“…Since incomplete or imprecise data are given in a number of publications, the astronomical interpretations cannot be verified. As discussed by Šprajc and Sánchez (2013), the orientation of the so-called Aposento de Moctezuma on the eastern slopes of Cerro de Chapultepec in Mexico City, related to the equinoctial sunrise by Galindo (2003), cannot be established with precision, whereas Hohmann's (1995:104–106, Figure 195) equinoctial interpretation of the east–west alignment composed by Structures 9N-81 and 9N-83 in the Sepulturas group at Copán, Honduras, does not take into account the fact that, given the altitudes of the eastern and western horizon (more than 6° and 2°, respectively), the alignment corresponds to neither sunrises nor sunsets at the equinoxes, but may have been intended to record sunsets on the quarter-days of the year.…”

Transformaciones en la arquitectura de los grupos E: los casos de Tikal y Uaxactún

“…A esta discusión se suman también Ivan Šprajc y Pedro Francisco Sánchez Nava (2016Nava ( : 194, 2018, quienes concluyen que no hay evidencias de que estos conjuntos fueran marcadores de los equinoccios astronómicos, aunque sugieren que sus orientaciones se corresponden con las fechas del 23 de marzo y el 21 de septiembre, cercanas a los equinoccios, pero no coincidentes. Estos serían los llamados días de cuarto del año que, junto con los solsticios, dividen el año en cuatro partes iguales y que pueden explicarse en términos del ciclo agrícola.…”

“…Por otro lado, la construcción de los tres templos no respetó plenamente las orientaciones solares. El templo E-II de Uaxactún, por ejemplo, está descentrado respecto al eje este-oeste ocultando la salida del sol en los equinoccios (Aveni y Hartung, 1989), además, como se ha mencionado anteriormente, parece que la alineación estaría relacionada con la salida del sol en los días del cuarto del año (Šprajc y Sánchez Nava, 2016. Es razonable entonces pensar que la función varió respecto al periodo precedente en ambos conjuntos y que, como sugiere Fialko (1988) los tres templos representarían solo una alegoría de los equinoccios y los solsticios o, como sugiere May Castillo (2018), contribuirían a representar el mundo divino, o bien que estuvieran relacionados con ceremonias ligadas con las actividades agrícolas (Šprajc y Sánchez Nava, 2016.…”

The archaeoastronomy of Tikal: A reanalysis

“…The first, by Aveni & Hartung (1988), examined the spatial inter‐relationship between Temples I, II, III, and IV of Tikal's central district, and speculated upon the dynastic relationship of their patrons. These spatial relationships were remeasured and reanalyzed by Šprajc (2021a, 2021b) and Šprajc & Richter (2014) in terms of solar alignment to important day‐pair intervals of the Maya ritual calendar. In recent years, archaeoastronomers have been leveraging the power of Virtual Globe software, such as Google Earth Pro, to access the potential of measuring azimuths of ancient structures remotely (Belmonte et al, 2009; Magli 2016; Romain 2022).…”