Several civilizations have used cues on the horizon to mark how the Sun moves through the sky. Today's blog is from Archaeological News based on a published paper that reveals how Aztecs used mountains to track the sunrise throughout the year. For instance, the oldest solar observatory in the world is composed of a line of 13 stone towers, which were built by an unknown civilization in Peru more than 2,300 years ago. Here's the story:
Did the Aztecs Use Mountains to Track the Sun?
Archaeological Headlines By JESSICA E. SARACENI Monday, Dec 19, 2022
RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA—According to a statement released by University of California, Riverside, the Aztecs used the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, along the eastern edge of the Basin of Mexico in which Mexico City is located, as a solar observatory to track the sunrise.
Detailed knowledge of the movement of the sun and the timing of the dry and monsoon seasons would have been required in order to grow enough food to feed the three million people thought to have lived in the region before the arrival of Europeans in 1519.
The scientists, led by ecologist Exequiel Ezcurra, began the search for a possible observation spot in ancient Aztec texts. References to Mount Tlaloc led them to the site of a temple on the summit of Mount Tlaloc. Then, using a computer model, the researchers determined that a causeway structure at the temple aligns with the rising sun on February 24, the first day of the Aztec year.
“When the sun rose at a landmark point behind the Sierras, they knew it was time to start planting,” Ezcurra explained. “The Aztecs were just as good or better as the Europeans at keeping time, using their own methods.”
FROM THE VANTAGE POINT OF MEXICO CITY - (Sciencealert.com)
Standing on the top of Templo Mayor on the winter solstice, an observer would see the Sun rise just behind the tip of Mount Tehuicocone. On the summer solstice from this same viewpoint, they would see the Sun rise right behind the present-day archeological site of Tepetlaoxtoc, which sits 2,300 meters (about 7,500 feet) above sea level in the foothills of a mountain chain called Sierra de Patlachique.
Solstices would also be marked by a pause in the Sun's progress along the horizon, rising and setting behind the same landmarks for a period of around 10 days.
Equinoxes were probably also observed from the top of Templo Mayor. The March and September equinoxes, for instance, are marked by the Sun rising behind the peak of Mount Tlaloc.
Ezcurra and his team calculated there is only one day in spring and one day in fall when the Sun rises directly behind this mountain, making it a highly accurate form of timekeeping.
Taken together, the alignments – along with illustrations and texts found in ancient Mexica codices – imply Mount Tlaloc served as a fundamental tool for marking important times of the year and for calendric adjustments. With this approach, the Sun would rise directly behind Mount Tlaloc every 365 days, and every four years, an extra day would have to be accounted for to keep the calendar on track.
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