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Celestial Connection

The Maya built temples on top of each other, terminating old buildings when their life span was up and building new structures on top of them to contain the energy. The pyramid of Kukulkan was excavated in the 1930s when a staircase was discovered under the north side. Digging though the top, they found another temple buried below. Inside they found a statue of a god called Chac Mool and a throne in the shape of a jaguar.

Another interesting building at Chichen Itza is called the Caracol. It’s a circular building that was used as an astronomical observatory. It has three important Venus alignments. A pair of turret windows each point to a different place on the western horizon where Venus pauses and changes direction in the sky. An observational platform has diagonal inscriptions directed toward the sunrise on the summer and winter solstices.

Palenque

There are a tremendous number of alignments at Palenque with more being uncovered all the time. In comparison to other sites, Palenque seems to direct the observer toward the stars and the moon. The Temple of the Count is aligned to the bright star Sirius. The Temple of the Foliated Cross is aligned to the binary star Capella. Alignments also exist to the moon at the time of its maximum elongation, the winter solstice setting sun, and the setting sun at the zenith passage.

Palenque is a great example of window placement alignments. Sunset in the Tower at Palenque illuminates an interior room through a T-shaped window, marking passages of the sun at the solstice and zeniths.

Palenque is also a good example of how the ancient Maya used architecture to commemorate legends and actions of the gods. The Palenque enactment takes place in Pacal’s tomb. Pacal, sometimes referred to as Pacal Votan, was an important Lord of Palenque. He took the throne at the age of 12 and died in 683 C.E. at the age of 80. He was responsible for the growth of power and influence of Palenque and according to Mayan elder Hunbatz Men, brought wisdom and enlightenment to his people. It’s said he was an incarnation of the Mayan god Votan. When Pacal died, the Maya believed he turned back into a god after his descent into the underworld. His tomb was hidden behind a secret entrance in the Temple of Inscriptions at Palenque. It was discovered in 1948 and finally uncovered in 1952.

Outside the temple, the sun sets behind a large ridge lying in alignment with the center of the temple roof. As the sun moves across the sky, rays of sunlight enter a doorway, illuminating the back wall of the temple. As the sun moves toward the horizon, the illumination slowly descends the temple stairway until it disappears into Pacal’s tomb. This symbolizes Pacal’s descent into the underworlds before becoming a sky god.

Codex Cues

If you’re interested in ancient sites, here are some more you may want to check out: Cancuen (this has the largest palace found to date, three stories, with many levels and courtyards), Calakmul, Uxmal (this has the most amazing conical pyramid!), El Mirador, Tikal (truly an incredible city), Civil, and Copan.

Time and Cosmic Events

What the Mayans achieved in regard to astronomy and mathematics is nothing short of miraculous. What they did better than anyone else, however, is synthesize information. Through their synthesis they came to relate the cycles and rhythms in the sky with cycles and rhythms in human affairs, storm patterns, climate shifts, earthquakes, and more. Relationships like this are now being substantiated by science. We know, for instance, that solar flares correspond to increases in hurricanes and contribute to global warming.

In Maya-view, alignments to celestial bodies were more than physical. They displayed the bonds the Maya believed existed between Earth and the heavens. The Mayan kings timed their accession rituals to be in sync with major celestial events and especially with the Milky Way. They believed that important