Cosmology, Calendars, and Horizon-Based Astronomy in Ancient Mesoamerica

Anne S. Dowd, Susan Milbrath, Anne S. Dowd, Susan Milbrath

• Publisher: University Press of Colorado
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781607323792
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Sociology
• Index: Social Sciences

Cosmology, Calendars, and Horizon-Based Astronomy in Ancient Mesoamerica is an interdisciplinary tour de force that establishes the critical role astronomy played in the religious and civic lives of the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica. Providing extraordinary examples of how Precolumbian peoples merged ideas about the cosmos with those concerning calendar and astronomy, the volume showcases the value of detailed examinations of astronomical data for understanding ancient cultures.The volume is divided into three sections: investigations into Mesoamerican horizon-based astronomy, the cosmological principles expressed in Mesoamerican religious imagery and rituals related to astronomy, and the aspects of Mesoamerican calendars related to archaeoastronomy. It also provides cutting-edge research on diverse topics such as records of calendar and horizon-based astronomical observation (like the Dresden and Borgia codices), iconography of burial assemblages, architectural alignment studies, urban planning, and counting or measuring devices.Contributors—who are among the most respected in their fields— explore new dimensions in Mesoamerican timekeeping and skywatching in the Olmec, Maya, Teotihuacano, Zapotec, and Aztec cultures. It will be of great interest to students and scholars of anthropology, archaeology, art history, and astronomy.

Part I

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Introduction

1
An Interdisciplinary Approach to Cosmology, Calendars, and Horizon-Based Astronomy

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SUSAN MILBRATH AND ANNE S. DOWD

This volume highlights the latest research on the role of astronomy in ancient Mesoamerica, an area spanning Mexico south to Honduras that is of special interest in the field of archaeoastronomy. Our field has come to be known more broadly as cultural astronomy because archaeology, ethnohistory, and ethnography are all important aspects of analysis. Anthony F. Aveni’s work has played a seminal role in this interdisciplinary field, and chapters published here cover many themes in his broad-ranging research. Chapters focusing on Mesoamerican horizon-based astronomy in the opening section of this book precede those that investigate the cosmological principles inherent in Mesoamerican religious imagery and rituals related to astronomy. The volume concludes with chapters that analyze Mesoamerican calendar records related to archaeoastronomy and a chapter by Aveni appraising the research compiled in this volume and other new initiatives that promise to be at the forefront of future studies.

We are happy to be riding a wave of heightened interest in Mesoamerican archaeoastronomy, enhanced no doubt by a focus in the popular press on dire predictions for the “end” of the Maya calendar on the winter solstice December 21, 2012. For years leading up to this date, people frequently asked about what the Maya said about 2012 and whether there was any validity to the astronomical events invoked. We responded by giving lectures and some even wrote books debunking the view popularized by new age “philosophy,” but it does remain intriguing that the Maya may have timed the rollover of the baktun cycle to coincide with the winter solstice. Here we have a chance to show how astronomy and the calendar were indeed closely linked in Maya thought. We can also raise broader issues about Mesoamerican patterns that show the role astronomy played in artistic representations, ceremonies, calendar records, architectural constructions, and urban planning. Since we are incorporating a number of different Mesoamerican civilizations, each with slightly different chronological periods, we refer the reader to table 1.1 for a comparison of time periods for the four main geographical areas covered in this volume: the Gulf Coast, Oaxaca, the Maya Lowlands, and the Central Mexican Highlands.

Table 1.1. Maya Lowlands, Gulf Coast, Oaxaca, and Central Mexican Highlands Chronological Sequences

Baktun/Half-Baktun	Day	Month	Gregorian Date (GMT = 584,283)	Maya Lowlands	Gulf Coast	Oaxaca	Central Mexican Highlands
0.0.0.0.0	4 Ahaw	8 Kumk’u	Aug. 11, 3113 B.C.	Archaic (3500–2000 B.C.)	Archaic (5000–2000 B.C.)	Archaic (8000–1900 B.C.)	Archaic (7000–2500 B.C.)
0.10.0.0.0	10 Ahaw	18 Sotz’	Sept. 27, 2916 B.C.	Archaic (3500–2000 B.C.)	Archaic (5000–2000 B.C.)	Archaic (8000–1900 B.C.)	Archaic (7000–2500 B.C.)
1.0.0.0.0	3 Ahaw	13 Ch’en	Nov. 13, 2719 B.C.	Archaic (3500–2000 B.C.)	Archaic (5000–2000 B.C.)	Archaic (8000–1900 B.C.)	Archaic (7000–2500 B.C.)
1.10.0.0.0	9 Ahaw	8 K’ank’in	Dec. 31, 2522 B.C.	Archaic (3500–2000 B.C.)	Archaic (5000–2000 B.C.)	Archaic (8000–1900 B.C.)	Archaic (7000–2500 B.C.)
2.0.0.0.0	2 Ahaw	3 Wayeb	Feb. 16, 2324 B.C.	Archaic (3500–2000 B.C.)	Archaic (5000–2000 B.C.)	Archaic (8000–1900 B.C.)	Early Formative (2500–900 B.C.)
2.10.0.0.0	8 Ahaw	13 Sak	Apr. 4, 2127 B.C.	Archaic (3500–2000 B.C.)	Archaic (5000–2000 B.C.)	Archaic (8000–1900 B.C.)	Early Formative (2500–900 B.C.)
3.0.0.0.0	1 Ahaw	8 Yax	May 21, 1930 B.C.	Early Preclassic (2000–1000 B.C.)	Initial Formative (2000–1500 B.C.)	Early Formative (1900–850 B.C.)	Early Formative (2500–900 B.C.)
3.10.0.0.0	7 Ahaw	3 Muwan	July 8, 1733 B.C.	Early Preclassic (2000–1000 B.C.)	Initial Formative (2000–1500 B.C.)	Early Formative (1900–850 B.C.)	Early Formative (2500–900 B.C.)
4.0.0.0.0	13 Ahaw	13 Pop	Aug. 23, 1536 B.C.	Early Preclassic (2000–1000 B.C.)	Initial Formative (2000–1500 B.C.)	Early Formative (1900–850 B.C.)	Early Formative (2500–900 B.C.)
4.10.0.0.0	6 Ahaw	8 Xul	Oct. 10, 1339 B.C.	Early Preclassic (...