The idea that the imposing temples throughout the Mayab were built based on the observation of the cosmos, was considered a conspiracy theory for many years. Today, it is a fact that its buildings are in perfect alignment and synchrony with certain interplanetary events.
From his birth to this day, the Mayan Culture of Yucatan are strongly linked to the universe and its observation, since it is no secret that this ancient civilization had an exact calculation of time, days, the movement of the stars and other events of the cosmos.
At the same time, The Mayan Culture related all these astronomical events to what was happening in nature around them.; that is when they interpreted and took action on these facts, affecting their lives and those of their peoples, giving way to the birth of the culture.
However, for many years it was considered a rather improbable theory to think that the majestic Mayan buildings could have been built based on the observation and calculation of the celestial vault.
Learn about the pyramids that are intimately connected with the stars and constellations, as well as the origin of Mayan astronomy and the way in which the movement of the universe affected life in the Mayab.
The Mayans and the stars
Various studies and tests carried out by experts from different parts of the world confirm that the mayans had a deep understanding of outer spacein addition to having made buildings taking into account certain astronomical phenomena Which is the reason?
both for the Mayan culture As for the other civilizations of Pre-Hispanic Mexico, looking up at the sky gave them the necessary knowledge to make life on earth possible, literally, since they were an agricultural people.
What was the relationship between agriculture and Maya astronomy? The link between these disciplines can be found in the religion.
In pre-Columbian Mexico, religion played the most important role. The firmament was interpreted as a reflection of the upper world and this was taken as an explanation for the natural phenomena that occur on planet earth. This, in turn, was the reason for the rituals and the interpretation of the priests regarding the divine mandate.
Mayan architecture and astronomy
Thus, the ancient Maya merged their knowledge of the firmament with other disciplines such as architecture and the mathgiving rise to the mythical Mayan calendar and the majestic constructions that are indisputably related to the forces of the universe.
The branch of science that studies the relationship between astronomical events and architectural phenomena that occur in Mayan pyramids and temples is archaeoastronomy.
These archaeoastronomical phenomena They are the indisputable proof of the close relationship between the disciplines that the Mayan Culture came to dominate, probably in a more advanced way than any of the modern civilizations.
However, the question still remains Why base so much of your culture on stargazing?
Archaeological zones of Mexico to live the equinoxes!
The Mayan pyramids connected to the cosmos
The mayan astronomy is not only linked to the religion and the architecture; It is also strongly linked to math and the agriculture, among many other activities, rites and events that were governed by the movement of the stars, such as the appointment of a new ruler, the right time to sow and harvest or even the right night to become a huay (Mayan sorcerer who can turn into an animal).
Fortunately, and only during certain days of the year, its ruins still remember the splendor of its culture, since announce the changes of season and other special moments for nature with spectacular plays of light and shadow in its most important temples.
Chichen Itza
The descent of Kukulcán is one of the best known and most important archaeoastronomical phenomena for the Mayan world.. It happens during the spring and autumn equinoxes, reflecting on the majestic stairs of the castle the figure of the feathered serpent; who descends to bless the earth one more cycle.
The rise of Kukulcán on video!
The House of the Seven Dolls, Dzibilchaltún
In Dzibilchaltuna beautiful archaeological zone a few minutes from the City of Mérida, there is a Mayan construction known as The House of the Seven Dolls, whose architecture stands out within the Mayan style. It is also during the autumn and spring equinoxes that the king sun sits right in the middle, revealing that the door of the enclosure was built mainly with the sun in mind.
This is how the equinox is lived in Dzibilchaltún!
The Chichen Itza observatory
From our planet, Venus is just a beautiful light in the stellar mantle. For our indigenous ancestors, she represented an immense power, a deity and an observation point from which to observe the phenomena of the earth.
The complete history of the alignment between the Snail and Venus, here!
On March 20, 2022, the Chichén Itzá observatory, also known as El Caracol, aligned with the planet Venus, an event that last occurred 500 years ago.
the moon serpent
In 1993, the archaeologist Víctor Segovia Pinto and the mathematician Eddie Salazar Gamboa discovered an archaeoastronomical phenomenon that they called The Moon Serpentthe manifestation of Goddess Ixchel, the lady of the moon, in the castle of Chichén Itzá.
Mayan architecture was not only used to announce important natural phenomena for the Mayab peoples, it was also a tool for observing the stars and thus being able to preserve communication between men and the stars.