National GeographicAncient AstronomersThe ancient Maya were arguably among the best sky-watching societies. Accomplished mathematicians, they taped organized observations on the motion of the Sun, planets, and stars.From these observations, they created a complex calendar system to regulate their world– among the most precise of pre-modern times.Astronomers closely observed the Sun and aligned monumental structures, such as pyramids, to track equinoxes and solstices. They also utilized these structures, in addition to wells and caves, to mark the zenith days– the two times a year in the tropics when the Sun is directly overhead and vertical things cast no shadow.Eclipse panels in the Dresden Codex. Credit: Saxon State University and Library– DresdenMaya scribes kept accounts of the astronomical observations in codices, hieroglyphic folding books made from fig bark paper. The Dresden Codex, one of the four remaining ancient Maya texts, dates to the 11th century. Its pages consist of a wealth of huge knowledge and religious analyses and provide evidence that the Maya could forecast solar eclipses.From the codexs astronomical tables, researchers understand that the Maya tracked the lunar nodes, the 2 points where the orbit of the Moon converges with the ecliptic– the aircraft of the Earths orbit around the Sun, which from our perspective is the course of the Sun through our sky. They also created tables divided into the 177-day solar eclipse seasons, marking days where eclipses were possible.Heavenly BattleBut why invest so much in tracking the skies?Knowledge is power. If you kept accounts of what occurred at the time of specific celestial events, you might be forewarned and take appropriate safety measures when cycles duplicated themselves. Priests and rulers would understand how to act, which rituals to perform and which sacrifices to make to the gods to ensure that the cycles of renewal, renewal, and destruction continued.In the Mayas belief system, sunsets were associated with death and decay. Every night the sun god, Kinich Ahau, made the perilous journey through Xibalba, the Maya underworld, to be born anew at dawn. Solar eclipses were viewed as a “damaged sun”– a sign of possible cataclysmic destruction.Kinich Ahau was connected with success and good order. His sibling Chak Ek– the early morning star, which we now referred to as the planet Venus– was related to war and discord. They had an adversarial relationship, defending supremacy.An illustration from the Dresden Codex reveals the Venus god descending from a sky band including solar and lunar symbols. Credit: Saxon State and University Library– DresdenTheir fight could be experienced in the paradises. During solar eclipses, worlds, stars and sometimes comets can be seen during totality. If positioned properly, Venus will shine brightly near the eclipsed Sun, which the Maya translated as Chak Ek on the attack. This is hinted at in the Dresden Codex, where a diving Venus god appears in the solar eclipse tables, and in the coordination of solar eclipses with the Venus cycles in the Madrid Codex, another Maya folding book from the late 15th century.With Kinich Ahau– the Sun– hidden behind the Moon, the Maya believed he was dying. Renewal routines were essential to bring back balance and set him back on his proper course.Nobility, specifically the king, would perform bloodletting sacrifices, piercing their bodies and gathering the blood drops to burn as offerings to the sun god. This “blood of kings” was the greatest type of sacrifice, implied to reinforce Kinich Ahau. Maya thought the creator gods had actually provided their blood and blended it with maize dough to develop the first human beings. In turn, the nobility offered a small part of their own life force to nourish the gods.Time Stands StillIn the lead-up to Aprils eclipse, I feel as if I am finishing a personal cycle of my own, bringing me back to earlier career courses: first as an aerospace engineer who liked her orbital mechanics classes and enjoyed yard astronomy; and after that as a history doctoral student, studying how Maya culture continued after the Spanish conquest.An image of the Maya sun god Kinich Ahau, made between the ninth and sixth centuries, now housed in Mexicos National Museum of Anthropology. Credit: BgabelFor me, just like the ancient Maya, the total solar eclipse will be a chance to not just look up however likewise to consider both future and past. Viewing the eclipse is something our ancestors have done considering that time immemorial and will do far into the future. It is incredible in the original sense of the word: For a few moments it appears as if time both stops, as all eyes turn skyward, and converges, as we participate in the exact same spectacle as our ancestors and descendants.And whether you believe in magnificent messages, fights between Venus and the Sun, or in the charm of science and the natural world, this occasion brings people together. It is humbling, and it is likewise really, very cool.I simply hope that Kinich Ahau will grace us with his presence in a cloudless sky and when again overcome Venus, which is a morning star on April 8. Written by Kimberly H. Breuer, Associate Professor of Instruction, University of Texas at Arlington.Adapted from an article initially published in The Conversation.
By Kimberly H. Breuer, University of Texas at Arlington April 6, 2024El Castillo pyramid lit up at night under the dark sky in Chichen Itza, Mexico, one of the biggest Maya cities.Ancient Maya astronomers, known for their celestial observations and accurate calendars, recorded their huge understanding in codices, anticipating eclipses and aligning monumental structures with celestial events.We live in a light-polluted world, where streetlamps, electronic advertisements and even backyard lighting block out all however the brightest celestial things in the night sky. The course of totality, where the Moon will totally block the Sun, will cross into Mexico on the Pacific coast before going into the United States in Texas, where I teach the history of technology and science, and will be seen as a partial eclipse throughout the lands of the ancient Maya. Its pages contain a wealth of huge knowledge and spiritual interpretations and provide evidence that the Maya could predict solar eclipses.From the codexs astronomical tables, scientists understand that the Maya tracked the lunar nodes, the two points where the orbit of the Moon converges with the ecliptic– the aircraft of the Earths orbit around the Sun, which from our point of view is the course of the Sun through our sky. This is hinted at in the Dresden Codex, where a diving Venus god appears in the solar eclipse tables, and in the coordination of solar eclipses with the Venus cycles in the Madrid Codex, another Maya folding book from the late 15th century.With Kinich Ahau– the Sun– hidden behind the Moon, the Maya believed he was passing away. In turn, the nobility offered a small part of their own life force to nurture the gods.Time Stands StillIn the lead-up to Aprils eclipse, I feel as if I am finishing a personal cycle of my own, bringing me back to earlier career courses: initially as an aerospace engineer who enjoyed her orbital mechanics classes and delighted in yard astronomy; and then as a history doctoral student, studying how Maya culture continued after the Spanish conquest.An image of the Maya sun god Kinich Ahau, made between the sixth and ninth centuries, now housed in Mexicos National Museum of Anthropology.
