Astronomy
Photo credit: Ales Liska
The Mayans viewed astronomical events as directly connected to their rituals and religious beliefs. Observing from the palace during the winter solstice, the setting sun behind the Temple of the Inscriptions has been seen as Lord Pakal descending to the underworld.
The temple of the Sun has several astronomical alignments that include the summer solstice, winter solstice, equinox, and zenith passage. The Temple of the Sun was oriented to face the rising sun on the morning of the winter solstice (Carlson 1976; Aveni and Hartung 1978:175). During the equinoxes, as the sun rises at 90 degrees, it shines into the temple of the sun in an angle of 29 degrees. For approximately 40 minutes, a sliver of light passes through to illuminate the back wall of a chamber located at the left side of the temple. (Mendez and others, 2005:10). During the summer solstice, the light of the rising sun passes at a 70 degree oblique angle. The light enters from the right doorway and passes the center of the temple, through two series of openings on the walls until it shines on the farthest left corner of the building inside a left back chamber. (Mendez and others, 2005:12). At the Zenith passage, the sun rises over the Temple of the Cross and the light enters the Temple of the Sun through the right doorway, passing through the center but it doesn't shine all the way to the back chambers. The Zenith passage in Palenque occurs on May 7th and on August 5th; this time is important because it represented the beginning of planting and harvesting season respectively. These alignments were important to predict the change of seasons as well. This knowledge helped the people of Palenque to prepare for winter and to know when to expect the comming spring.
The glyphs at the temples of Palenque show references to Venus, and Mercury. These planets were important to the Maya because of their trajectory path being close to the sun, seen in early morning and early evenings. They also have been associated with royal secession among the rulers of Palenque. Venus and Mercury along with the Sun have been associated with the Palenque Triad, representing the cities protective deities GI, GII and GIII. (Slack, 1996)
The temple of the Sun has several astronomical alignments that include the summer solstice, winter solstice, equinox, and zenith passage. The Temple of the Sun was oriented to face the rising sun on the morning of the winter solstice (Carlson 1976; Aveni and Hartung 1978:175). During the equinoxes, as the sun rises at 90 degrees, it shines into the temple of the sun in an angle of 29 degrees. For approximately 40 minutes, a sliver of light passes through to illuminate the back wall of a chamber located at the left side of the temple. (Mendez and others, 2005:10). During the summer solstice, the light of the rising sun passes at a 70 degree oblique angle. The light enters from the right doorway and passes the center of the temple, through two series of openings on the walls until it shines on the farthest left corner of the building inside a left back chamber. (Mendez and others, 2005:12). At the Zenith passage, the sun rises over the Temple of the Cross and the light enters the Temple of the Sun through the right doorway, passing through the center but it doesn't shine all the way to the back chambers. The Zenith passage in Palenque occurs on May 7th and on August 5th; this time is important because it represented the beginning of planting and harvesting season respectively. These alignments were important to predict the change of seasons as well. This knowledge helped the people of Palenque to prepare for winter and to know when to expect the comming spring.
The glyphs at the temples of Palenque show references to Venus, and Mercury. These planets were important to the Maya because of their trajectory path being close to the sun, seen in early morning and early evenings. They also have been associated with royal secession among the rulers of Palenque. Venus and Mercury along with the Sun have been associated with the Palenque Triad, representing the cities protective deities GI, GII and GIII. (Slack, 1996)
Photo Credit: Thomas, A
Works Cited:
Aveni, Anthony F. and Horst Hartung, 1978. “Some Suggestions about arrangements of Buildings at Palenque,” in Proceedings of the Third Palenque Round Table. 173-177
Carlson, John B., 1976. "Astronomical Investigations and Site Orientation Influences at Palenque" in The art, iconography and Dynastic History of Palenque, Part III, edited by Merle Greene Robertson, pp.107-117. Pebble Beach, CA: The Robert Louis Stevenson School.
Mendez, A., Barnhart, E,. Powell, Ch., and Karasik, C. 2005. "Astronomical observations from
the temple of the sun". 8-20
Schlak. 1996. Venus, Mercury and the Sun : GI, GII and GIII of the Palenque Triad. Anthropology and Aesthetics. 29/30: 180-202
Carlson, John B., 1976. "Astronomical Investigations and Site Orientation Influences at Palenque" in The art, iconography and Dynastic History of Palenque, Part III, edited by Merle Greene Robertson, pp.107-117. Pebble Beach, CA: The Robert Louis Stevenson School.
Mendez, A., Barnhart, E,. Powell, Ch., and Karasik, C. 2005. "Astronomical observations from
the temple of the sun". 8-20
Schlak. 1996. Venus, Mercury and the Sun : GI, GII and GIII of the Palenque Triad. Anthropology and Aesthetics. 29/30: 180-202