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Mayan Astronomy

Mayan Astronomy. Julieta Fierro Instituto de Astronom ía de la UNAM julieta@astroscu.unam.mx. Many thanks to UNESCO and specially to Fran ç oise Combes. IAU has honored the Mayas: Crater on Mercury. Abstract. The culture The calendar Equinoxes Zenith pass Venus.

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Mayan Astronomy

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  1. Mayan Astronomy Julieta Fierro Instituto de Astronomía de la UNAM julieta@astroscu.unam.mx

  2. Many thanks to UNESCO and specially to Françoise Combes

  3. IAU has honored the Mayas: Crater on Mercury

  4. Abstract The culture • The calendar • Equinoxes • Zenith pass • Venus

  5. Maya land, meso America

  6. Slave society, so a calendar was required to organize activities during the rainy and dry seasons.

  7. Sites served ritual, commerce and time keeping purposes, a well know example is Chichen-Itza

  8. Descent of Kukulkán

  9. Models • Predict alignments, shadows, eclipses.

  10. No animal transportation nor metal tools

  11. Great craftsmen

  12. One of the five written languages of antiquity: Dresden Codex

  13. Sculpture has been preserved

  14. Calendar • Solar: 365 days • Ritual: 260 days • 365 x 52 = 260 x 73

  15. Solar and ritual calendars

  16. Same calendar across Meso -America

  17. Alignments with constructions, flat land

  18. Naked eye observations

  19. Spring solstice

  20. Zenith pass

  21. Ball game: social, religious, political, mythological and time keeping purposes

  22. Ixhel lunar goddess

  23. Builtobservatories

  24. Snail: curving corridor with observation windows

  25. Bonampak

  26. Murals at Bonampak

  27. Milky Way

  28. 8 solar years = 5 Venus period at the same position of Earth and stars

  29. Maya culture was known throughout Mesoamerica:Venus at Cacaxtla

  30. Venus observations • Venus’ platform at Chichen-Itza

  31. Venus transit was registered at Mayapan

  32. Next Venus transit at the rising sun

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