La vida bajo el cielo estrellado: la arqueoastronomía y etnoastronomía en Latinoamérica
Life under the starry sky: archaeoastronomy and ethnoastronomy in Latin America
Contributor(s): Stanislaw Iwaniszewski (Editor), Ricardo Moyano Vasconcellos (Editor), Michał Gilewski (Editor)
Subject(s): History, Anthropology, Social Sciences, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: archaeoastronomy; ethnoastronomy; cultural astronomy; horizon calendars; lunar and solar observations; equinox; solstice; zenith; lunar standstills; eclipses; celestial constellations; calendars
Summary/Abstract: Life under the starry sky is a collection of papers covering much of the most recent research in Latin American cultural astronomy. The contributors explore the astronomical knowledge and beliefs of Native American peoples, their importance for daily affairs, and reconstruct ancient calendrical and astronomical computations. This book is of particular interest to astronomers, historians, anthropologists and archaeologists, amateur astronomers, custodians of local traditions, tourist operators, and cultural heritage managers.
- E-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-5481-3
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-5473-8
- Page Count: 350
- Publication Year: 2021
- Language: Spanish, Portuguese
OBSERVATORIO ASTRONÓMICO PREMUISCA DE MONQUIRÁ-SAQUENZIPA-VILLA DE LEYVA- COLOMBIA
OBSERVATORIO ASTRONÓMICO PREMUISCA DE MONQUIRÁ-SAQUENZIPA-VILLA DE LEYVA- COLOMBIA
(PREMUISCA ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY OF MONQUIRÁ-SAQUENZIPA-VILLA DE LEYVA- COLOMBIA)
- Author(s):Julio H. Bonilla Romero, Carlos Rodríguez Rojas
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:21-31
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:Muisca; Chibcha; Altiplano Cundiboyacense; solstice; equinox; zenith
- Summary/Abstract:This article describes the first possible solar observatory in America built around 800 BCE, located in the Monquira village of the Saquencipa valley in Villa de Leyva, Boyacá Department, Colombia, and which belongs to the Early Herrera or even pre-Herrera period. Archaeoastronomical investigations in recent years have been supplemented with topographic and geodetic equipment to calculate the geodetic and astronomical azimuth of two parallel rows consisting of 56 column-like slabs each and aligned upon the equinoxes. In addition, further observations were made from the outliers of each row to determine solstitial sunrise alignments. It showed that the extended alignment lines connect the site with the sacred Iguaque lagoon on the June solstice and the Cushions of the Zaque (“Cojines del Zaque”) archaeological site in Tunja on the December solstice. Furthermore, in situ observations suggest that the southern stone row was oriented towards the days the sun crosses the zenith.
CONQUISTA INKA Y PAISAJES RITUALES EN LOS NEVADOS DE CACHI, NOROESTE ARGENTINO
CONQUISTA INKA Y PAISAJES RITUALES EN LOS NEVADOS DE CACHI, NOROESTE ARGENTINO
(INKA CONQUEST AND RITUAL LANDSCAPES IN NEVADOS DE CACHI, ARGENTINE NORTHWESTERN)
- Author(s):Iván Leibowicz, Cristian Jacob, Félix Acuto, Ricardo Moyano Vasconcellos, Alejandro Andrés Ferrari
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:33-47
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:archaeoastronomy; ushnu; horizon markers; Inca Conquest
- Summary/Abstract:This paper describes an astronomical and landscape analysis at four Inca sites located in the Nevados de Cachi, North Calchaquí Valley, in the Province of Salta, Argentina. In particular, we considered existing ushnu platforms and their associated architectural elements, such as gnomons, and a petroglyph in Guitian, Cortaderas, El Apunao, and Uña Tambo. These results show the location, spatial layout, and arrangement of particular structures within Inca settlements based on astronomical orientations involving solstices, equinoxes, and lunar standstills.
EL SHINCAL: PAISAJE RITUAL Y ASTRONOMÍA
EL SHINCAL: PAISAJE RITUAL Y ASTRONOMÍA
(THE SHINCAL: LANDSCAPE RITUAL AND ASTRONOMY)
- Author(s):Gustavo Manuel Corrado, Marco Antonio Giovannetti, Sixto Ramón Giménez Benítez, José Luis Pino Matos, Wendy Moreano Montalván
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:49-60
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:El Shincal de Quimvil
- Summary/Abstract:The first steps are presented here in the study of landscape construction and its relationship to the stars in the Inka site El Shincal de Quimivil in Northwestern Argentine. The settlement resulted from careful planning that materialized on the location of the main square, the ceremonial platform ushnu, and several public buildings. Nevertheless, the surrounding hills have also played a unique role in shaping the landscape articulated between natural elements and architectural constructions. We have identified some elements that have alignments to hills sacred and related to the movement of the stars constructions.
EL CENIT LUNAR EN LOS LÍMITES DEL TRÓPICO DE CAPRICORNIO
EL CENIT LUNAR EN LOS LÍMITES DEL TRÓPICO DE CAPRICORNIO
(THE LUNAR ZENITH IN THE LIMITS OF THE TROPIC OF CAPRICORN)
- Author(s):Ricardo Moyano Vasconcellos
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:61-72
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:lunar cycles; zenith; ushnu; Collasuyu; Viña del Cerro
- Summary/Abstract:We present evidence of astronomical orientations and horizon markers in the Ina site of Viña del Cerro, Atacama region, northern Chile. We assume as a hypothesis the importance of the Lunar zenith related to the phenomenon of major lunar standstills, the control of geographical latitude, and the ushnus presence south of the Tropic of Capricorn. From the phenomenology perspective, we develop the concepts of “dwelling or living in the World” related to the sky observation in the Inca society. Finally, the results show us the use of the Moon for political and ritual purposes, linked with the Citua festival during the September month and the eclipse predictions. This, as a mnemonic system that sought to reaffirm the Cuzco elite’s privilege conditions, related to the environment appropriation and the expansive politic of the Tawantinsuyu, ca. 1470–1532/6 AD.
PACHACÁMAC Y QUILLAMAMA. LA LUNA EN LOS FRISOS CALENDÁRICOS DE HUAYCÁN DE CIENEGUILLA Y MARANGA
PACHACÁMAC Y QUILLAMAMA. LA LUNA EN LOS FRISOS CALENDÁRICOS DE HUAYCÁN DE CIENEGUILLA Y MARANGA
(PACHACÁMAC AND QUILLAMAMA. THE MOON IN THE CALENDRICAL FRIEZES HUAYCÁN DE CIENEGUILLA AND MARANGA)
- Author(s):Juan Pablo Villanueva Hidalgo
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:73-88
- No. of Pages:16
- Keywords:Pachacámac; calendar; Astronomy; Inca; Huaycán de Cieneguilla; Maranga
- Summary/Abstract:"Pachacámac and Quillamama" are lunar deities Ychsma coastal and highland Inca, respectively, the domain interacted during the Tawantinsuyu had on societies that inhabited the central coast. Along with moon worship is also interacted astronomical knowledge and calendars use both of these regional coastal societies as used by the Inca Empire. These concepts are addressed through the iconic and archaeoastronomical analysis it “Calendrical Friezes”, made of mud, found in archaeological sites Huaycán de Cieneguilla and Maranga.
EL BASAMENTO PIRAMIDAL DE CAÑADA DE LA VIRGEN COMO CALENDARIO DE HORIZONTE ARTIFICIAL
EL BASAMENTO PIRAMIDAL DE CAÑADA DE LA VIRGEN COMO CALENDARIO DE HORIZONTE ARTIFICIAL
(CAÑADA DE LA VIRGEN’S PYRAMID AS AN ARTIFICIAL HORIZON CALENDAR)
- Author(s):Rossana Quiroz Ennis
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:89-102
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:Cañada de la Virgen; artificial horizon calendar; Mesoamerican calendar families; Sun; Venus
- Summary/Abstract:Cañada de la Virgen is a ceremonial prehispanic center located at the central part of the Rio Laja, in a region considered the limit of the Mesoamerican frontier for the 9th century CE. This article emphasizes the design of Complex A pyramid as an artificial horizon calendar and as an astronomical calendric instrument that captures the positions of the sun, moon, and Venus, through each vertex conformed by the staggering bodies of the pyramid. Direct observation and its systematic documentation, photographic records, and the complementary measurements made by theodolite have allowed recreating a model that reveals the count of day counts in coherent groups for the so-called “Mesoamerican families.” These sequences include 73, 63 y 65, 52, 40, 20, 13, 10, and 5 days.
LAS PEÑAS DEL COLORADO, UN MONUMENTO DE PIEDRA SIGNIFICATIVO EN EL PAISAJE DEL NOROESTE DE GUANAJUATO: IMPLICACIONES ASTRONÓMICAS
LAS PEÑAS DEL COLORADO, UN MONUMENTO DE PIEDRA SIGNIFICATIVO EN EL PAISAJE DEL NOROESTE DE GUANAJUATO: IMPLICACIONES ASTRONÓMICAS
(THE ROCKS OF COLORADO, A MONUMENT SIGNIFICANT STONE IN THE NORTHWEST LANDSCAPE OF GUANAJUATO: ASTRONOMICAL IMPLICATIONS)
- Author(s):Omar Cruces Cervantes
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:103-114
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:landscape archaeology; natural places; stone monuments
- Summary/Abstract:We seek to approach the forms of pre-Hispanic thought by analyzing the various elements that make up the significant landscape in the archeology of Guanajuato. This article will address the stone monument called Las Peñas del Colorado, located in the northwest of this State. It is a rocky outcrop with small arrangements suggesting an astronomical purpose and a possible association with certain ritual practices. In this space, the experience is structured by connecting various elements: an astronomical marker that mediates this phenomenon, the celestial body as a temporal agent that highlights a complex event, and human actors with assumed roles and determined actions. We take up the concept of cultural astronomy to recognize in these phenomena the mechanism and the conceptual system where the sky and its content acquire the ability to represent concepts.
ARQUEOASTRONOMÍA Y CALENDARIO DE TULA GRANDE
ARQUEOASTRONOMÍA Y CALENDARIO DE TULA GRANDE
(ARCHAEOASTRONOMY AND CALENDAR AT TULA GRANDE)
- Author(s):Hans Martz de la Vega, Héctor Patiño Rodríguez Malpica, Rafael Ángeles Meléndez, Isidro A. Jaimes Hernández
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:115-125
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:Tula; archaeoastronomy; zenith passage of the Sun; major and minor lunar standstills
- Summary/Abstract:The results derived from archaeoastronomical measurements of the Tula Grande urban core show the care and attention the Toltec architects gave to shape their ceremonial center, particularly and for this work, concerning the observation of solar zenith transit. We conclude that they generated the 32- and 27-day units to fix particular dates in the 364-day year, the so-called “computing calendar, ”and the city’s spatial organization obeyed the same criteria. However, these results raise questions about what kind of day intervals (and the base number of 4 and 9, respectively) were intended to organize the Toltec community’s yearly activities and shape the layout of the urban core.
UNA NUEVA PROPUESTA DE ORIENTACIÓN Y CARTOGRAFÍA PARA EL MAPA DE CUAUHTINCHAN II
UNA NUEVA PROPUESTA DE ORIENTACIÓN Y CARTOGRAFÍA PARA EL MAPA DE CUAUHTINCHAN II
(CUAUHTINCHAN MAP II: A NEW ORIENTATION AND CARTOGRAPHIC PROPOSAL)
- Author(s):Tim Tucker
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:127-138
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Cuauhtinchan II; MC2; Teotihuacán; Pico de Orizaba; La Malinche; cosmovision; cartography; archaeo-astronomy
- Summary/Abstract:From the Pico de Orizaba to the top of volcano La Malinche, the Map of Cuauhtinchan II (MC2) is a cartographic guide which corresponds to an urban design of the ancient city of Teotihuacán at 17o northwest, which is known in archaeo-astronomical literature as the “17o family of orientations”. At the same time, an analysis of toponyms allows us to test the hypothesis that what is shown on the upper left hand corner of MC2 does not correspond to the area known today as Mexico City, but rather, the entrance to the Valley of Teotihuacán.
UN MODELO DE ORIENTACIÓN PARA LA PIRÁMIDE DE EL CASTILLO EN CHICHÉN ITZÁ
UN MODELO DE ORIENTACIÓN PARA LA PIRÁMIDE DE EL CASTILLO EN CHICHÉN ITZÁ
(A MODEL OF ORIENTATION FOR THE PYRAMID EL CASTILLO AT CHICHEN ITZA)
- Author(s):Ismael Arturo García Montero
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:139-150
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Chichen Itza; Zenithal way of the Sun; Arqueoastronomy; Mayas
- Summary/Abstract:New observations corroborate that The Castle, the principal pyramid of the ancient city of Chichen Itza, in Yucatán, was point towards and is useful as an astronomical sign, since the wise Mayas of the Posclassic adjusted the year, and to be the center of a cosmogram, which has an alignment in his four cardinal points, this alignment with the springs: Sagrado, Holtún, Xtoloc y Kanjuyum. In 2012, the archeologist Arturo Montero Garcia showed in the magazine National Geographic corresponding to the month of August, year 2013 with a base in direction values- that the zenith way for this pre-Hispanic structure arrives on May 4th and on June 19th, appearing at daybreak in the axle of its north corner towards Templo de las Mesas. The research organizes the geometry, the astronomy, and the architecture in an extraordinary way thanks to the azimuth of the sun when this one wakes up of its zenithal way’s day for this geographic latitude and to the peculiar geomorphology of its environment.
LUNACIONES, PASOS CENITALES Y LATITUD EN MESOAMÉRICA
LUNACIONES, PASOS CENITALES Y LATITUD EN MESOAMÉRICA
(LUNATIONS, ZENITH PASSAGES AND LATITUDE IN MESOAMÉRICA)
- Author(s):Rubén Bernardo Morante López
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:151-160
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:Chichén Itzá; Tajin; underground observatories; calendrical events; history of geography
- Summary/Abstract:Solar zenith passages only occur in tropical latitudes. The zenithal passages days were helpful as calendrical references since they precede or coincide with the summer solstice day near the tropics. In lower latitudes, they occur on two equidistant dates, before and after the solstice day. They may be used to mark climatic and agricultural seasons, predicting the arrival of the rains. However, they could have also constituted a geographical reference denoting zenithal passages on different days according to the latitude. The present paper discusses the evidence originating from two emblematic sites: Chichén Itzá and Tajin. At both sites were built underground observatories to mark the solar passage through the site’s meridian and to calculate the exact date of the zenith passage. Latitude in both sites indicates that the zenith passages occur 29 and 30 days before and after June solstice, suggesting the purposeful selection of that latitude to keep the same lunar phase moon on three key events: zenith passages and summer Solstice.
ORIENTACIÓN DE IGLESIAS COLONIALES EN XOCHIMILCO Y MILPA ALTA, CUENCA DE MÉXICO
ORIENTACIÓN DE IGLESIAS COLONIALES EN XOCHIMILCO Y MILPA ALTA, CUENCA DE MÉXICO
(ORIENTATION OF COLONIAL CHURCHES IN XOCHIMILCO AND MILPA ALTA, BASIN OF MEXICO)
- Author(s):Juan Rafael Zimbrón Romero
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:161-170
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:horizon calendars; colonial churches; religious syncretism; Iztaccíhuatl; Basin of Mexico
- Summary/Abstract:The churches of San Bernardino de Siena in Xochimilco and La Asunción in Milpa Alta, built during the 16th century, are oriented to the Iztaccíhuatl volcano, marking important dates to the indigenous-colonial calendar. In the first temple were registered dates of February 24 – to the east – linked to the beginning of the Xochimilco year. The second one marked the equinoxes, March 20–21 and September 22–23, useful to fix the quarter days. Also, this system includes the Sun passes through the zenith, May 16, related to the San Bernardino de Siena feast, May 20. It maintains the indigenous structure of the calendar and its conception of landscape within Christian concepts related to the cult of saints and the Virgin Mary, along with the notion of a unique God.
LA IMPORTANCIA ARQUEOASTRONÓMICA Y CALENDÁRICA DE LOS INTERVALOS DE 63 Y 28 DÍAS EN MESOAMÉRICA
LA IMPORTANCIA ARQUEOASTRONÓMICA Y CALENDÁRICA DE LOS INTERVALOS DE 63 Y 28 DÍAS EN MESOAMÉRICA
(THE ARCHAEOASTRONOMICAL AND CALENDRICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE INTERVALS OF 63 AND 28 DAYS IN MESOAMERICA)
- Author(s):Hans Martz de la Vega, David Wood Cano
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:171-181
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:tonalpohualli; zenith passage of the Sun; Sun over the nadir; trecenas; sevens
- Summary/Abstract:Archaeoastronomical investigations (Franz Tichy, Anthony F. Aveni, Horst Hartung, Johanna Broda, Stanislaw Iwaniszewski, Vincent H. Malmström, J. Eric Thompson, Lucrecia Maupomé, Arturo Ponce de León, Jesús Galindo Trejo, Ivan Šprajc, Ismael Arturo Montero García, Rubén B. Morante) proved the importance of calendrical intervals in planning solar calendar alignments at prehispanic sites. The calendar intervals originate from the Mesoamerican system based on the numbers 13 and 20 and their multiplicities. These sacred numbers represented particular deities and astronomical-calendrical cycles inherent in the Mesoamerican worldview. The cycle of 260 days consists of 13 periods of 20 days or four periods of 65 days (called Cocijo in the Zapotec area) and five periods of 52 days. At the same time, the cycle of 52 days equals 13 x 4, the cycle of 65 days equals 5 x 13 days. Another critical cycle of 73 days constitutes a solar year of 73 x 5, and the Venusian cycle of 73 x 8 = 584 days. This paper proposes that the newly discovered cycle of 63 days forming a model of the Temple of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza (Montero García, Galindo Trejo and Wood Cano 2014) was also crucial in the Mexican Highlands. At Altiplano, this cycle was connected to harmonic periods of 91 days x 4 = 364. Thus, the cycle of 63 days may be understood as being composed of numbers 7 and 9. Numerous examples of 7 and 9-day periods are known from the evidence (Thompson 1943, Yasugi and Saito 1991). On the other hand, 63- and 28-day intervals make up 91 days, and both are divisible by 7. We argue that 63 + 28 days intervals were encoded in architecture. According to recent studies, these numbers are now integrated into the already previously studied and described for a better understanding of Mesoamerican calendrical structure. Archaeoastronomical measurements are families in various archaeological sites.
LA ORIENTACIÓN CALENDÁRICO-ASTRONÓMICA Y UN POSIBLE ORIGEN ASTRONÓMICO DEL NUMERAL TRECE EN MESOAMÉRICA
LA ORIENTACIÓN CALENDÁRICO-ASTRONÓMICA Y UN POSIBLE ORIGEN ASTRONÓMICO DEL NUMERAL TRECE EN MESOAMÉRICA
(THE CALENDRIC-ASTRONOMICAL ORIENTATION AND A POSSIBLE ASTRONOMICAL ORIGIN OF NUMBER THIRTEEN IN MESOAMERICA)
- Author(s):Jesús Galindo Trejo
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:183-195
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:Mesoamerica; calendar; architectural orientation; solar observation
- Summary/Abstract:The number thirteen is an essential element in Mesoamerican ideology that could be used to enumerate the heavenly layers, order the ritual ceremonies, and create the organization of time in the form of a calendar that remained in force for several millennia. The paper presents different proposals that attempt to explain the choice of 13 and its essential role in the practice of architectural orientation. It proposes a new observational way to understand the reason behind such a choice made by Mesoamerican priest-astronomers.
EL ECLIPSE DE LA CONQUISTA Y LA CAÍDA DE MÉXICO-TENOCHTITLAN
EL ECLIPSE DE LA CONQUISTA Y LA CAÍDA DE MÉXICO-TENOCHTITLAN
(CONQUEST’S ECLIPSE AND THE FALL OF MEXICO-TENOCHTITLAN)
- Author(s):Isidro A. Jaimes Hernández
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:199-213
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:Tenochtitlan fall; toxiumolpilia; conquest eclipse
- Summary/Abstract:This study is an astronomical confirmation of the fall of Tenochtitlan on 1 coatl of Tlaxochimaco although fused with Cuauhtemoc ́s prison date, who had had found shelter in Tlatelolco to continue the mexica defense. Two eclipse dates conjugation reported on mexican plateau fonts, one for toxiumolpilia or year binding during Moctezuma’s reign on year 2 acatl and another on year 4 tochtli after the fall of Tenochtitlan, have clarified the mexica calendar structure which resulted into a similar new year’s day as reported in maya colonial documents including Landa’s Relación, indicating it as julian july 16th. Such year structure is determined by a zenital – antizenital Axis fixed by an Ah Toc, the tzolkin quarter equivalent to 65 days which the chilam balam associates with the sacred fire maintainance in the temples by four chaacs or acolytes, reason why Ah Toc’s igneous identity evoques such a Sun Axis incarnating four senior numen, adored as responsible for the world’s stability and reflects several aspects of the mesoamerican cosmovision: the 4 Ahau reference, the four year bearers rotation, etc.
¿SE PUEDE JUSTIFICAR EL CICLO DE 11,952 K’INO’OB DE LA TABLA DE ECLIPSES?
¿SE PUEDE JUSTIFICAR EL CICLO DE 11,952 K’INO’OB DE LA TABLA DE ECLIPSES?
(CAN THE 11,952 K’INO’OB CYCLE OF THE ECLIPSE TABLE BE JUSTIFIED?)
- Author(s):Geraldine A. Patrick Encina
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:215-229
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:Eclipse Table; sidereal Moon revolutions; synodic Moon revolutions; Venus-Moon correlation
- Summary/Abstract:The argument that says that the Eclipse Almanac on Dresden 52-58 is two-ways redundant is revised. Base dates and those derived from periods in L.C. notation (60 of 177 and nine of 148 k’ino’ob –which sum 11,952 k’ino’ob–) and from periods in tzolk’in day notation (52 of 177, eight of 178, and nine of 148, which sum 11,960 k’ino’ob) are calculated with the GMT Correlation (JD 584283) and with the recently proposed correlation (Patrick 2013). The latter has Creation on July 27, 3117 b.c.e. (proleptic), and for the three base dates starting with 9.16.4.10.8 12 Lamat 1 Muwan, it produces May 21, June 5 June 20 c.e. 755 (proleptic). A three-day window where the third day is the date obtained with each correlation produces that, out of 70 registrations, there is a 100% match with NASA dates using the second correlation and a 0% match using the first one. Moreover, following the second correlation, 11,952 k’ino’ob commensurate 11,959.93 days, which entails 405.00 lunations (29.530588 days each) and 69 eclipse seasons. The tzolkin-day-based record of 11,960 k’ino’ob on the same almanac ascends to 11,967.9395 days, reaching 438.03 sidereal Moon revolutions (27.32166 days/rev.; both lunar numbers are mean values in 4,000 years, from Espenak and Meeus 2009).
ICONOGRAFÍA DE DIOSES CELESTES EN CÓDICES DEL ALTIPLANO MEXICANO
ICONOGRAFÍA DE DIOSES CELESTES EN CÓDICES DEL ALTIPLANO MEXICANO
(ICONOGRAPHY OF CELESTIAL GODS IN MEXICAN CODICES OF CENTRAL HIGHLANDS)
- Author(s):Ofelia Márquez Huitzil
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:231-243
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:Mesoamerican celestial iconography; images of the Sun; Moon and Venus; Mexican Altiplano codices
- Summary/Abstract:Numerous images of various celestial deities appear in the graphic scenes in Postclassic and colonial codices as "Telleriano-Remensis, Vatican A, Borbónico, the Borgia, Vatican B, Cospi, Fejérváry-Mayer, Laud. Moreover, their names are also mentioned in" the accounts following the Spanish conquest, such as the General History of the Things of "New Spain", historical sources the "First Memorial" of Fray Bernardino de Sahagún. Furthermore, generations of scholars have been able to identify those deities in other pre-Hispanic and colonial documents (Seler (1980), Nowotny (2005), Anders, Jansen, Reyes Garcia (1992), Aguilera (1988), Caso (1996), Boone (2007)). This work was also followed by cultural astronomers (Bricker (2001), Siarkiewicz (1995), Aveni (1999)). In this paper, I describe the Sun, Moon, and Venus images that I will define following examples and statistical tables with iconographic specifications.
LAS SERIES LUNARES EN YAXCHILÁN
LAS SERIES LUNARES EN YAXCHILÁN
(LAS SERIES LUNARES EN YAXCHILÁN)
- Author(s):Stanislaw Iwaniszewski
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:245-257
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:Lunar Series; 886-day cycle; 3396-day cycle
- Summary/Abstract:The Lunar Series at Yaxchilan are reconstructed. The paper demonstrates that the Maya used two intervals of 886 and 3396 days to make regular intercalations. At Yaxchilan, the first Lunar Series combined observation with the record. Later on, they relied on computations.
LA OBSERVACIÓN DEL CENIT EN MESOAMÉRICA: PERCEPCIÓN DEL ESPACIO, CIENCIA Y COSMOVISIÓN
LA OBSERVACIÓN DEL CENIT EN MESOAMÉRICA:
PERCEPCIÓN DEL ESPACIO, CIENCIA Y COSMOVISIÓN
(THE OBSERVATION OF THE ZENITH IN MESOAMERICA: PERCEPTION OF SPACE, SCIENCE, AND WORLDVIEW)
- Author(s):Johanna Broda
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:259-272
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:Cultural Astronomy; Mesoamerican calendrics; Cultural Geography; interdisciplinary approach
- Summary/Abstract:In this paper, I build on earlier investigations by Tichy, Morante, and Broda that focused on zenith observations in Mesoamerica. This observation alone permits us to situate sites within geographical space and distinguish them according to their latitude. This circumstance found expression in the counting of days and periods that the ancient Mesoamericans sought to systematize within the framework of their calendrical system. I will refer to constructions that served to make zenith observations and review several Mesoamerican sites regarding their geographic location and the perception of space implicit in this information. Finally, I will discuss the implications of these studies for theory and method in Cultural Astronomy briefly.
“SOBRE TORBELLINOS Y OTROS AIRES
“SOBRE TORBELLINOS Y OTROS AIRES
(“WHIRLWINDS AND OTHER AIRS)
- Author(s):Alejandro Martin López
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:275-285
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:Atmospheric phenomena; Chaco; Guaycurú; Jesuits
- Summary/Abstract:In this paper, we aim to address some Jesuit testimonies of the eighteenth century about the conceptions of atmospheric phenomena from the guaycurú Argentinian Chaco Aboriginal hunter-gatherers. We do this by using a contemporary ethnography perspective as a conceptual model. Our work aims to show that they think atmospheric phenomena are relevant for guaycurú people in terms of “signs” or evidence of intentions and wishes of powerful human and non-human beings. To observe these signals is to “read” intentions, desires, appetites, and wills.
DESCENDO À TERRA: ATMOSFERA E CORPOS CELESTES NO RELATOS SOBRE A SERRA DO ARACURI BAJANDO A LA TIERRA: ATMOSFERA Y ASTROS EN LOS RELATOS ACERCA DEL CERRO DE ARACURI
DESCENDO À TERRA: ATMOSFERA E CORPOS CELESTES NO RELATOS SOBRE A SERRA DO ARACURI BAJANDO A LA TIERRA: ATMOSFERA Y ASTROS EN LOS RELATOS ACERCA DEL CERRO DE ARACURI
(DESCENDING TO EARTH: ATMOSPHERE AND CELESTIAL BODIES IN SPEECHES ABOUT THE ARACURI MOUNTAIN)
- Author(s):Priscila Faulhaber Barbosa
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:287-298
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Cultural Astronomy; Meteorology; Ethnography
- Summary/Abstract:This paper focuses on the atmosphere and celestial bodies’ movements ideas appearing on the speeches about the Aracuri Hill recorded in the community of Agua Fria de Cima, Lago Grande do Curuai/Pará/Brazil. This community of people I interacted with states that they descend from Mundurucu Indians married to escaped slaves. Their memory goes back to the Cabanagem war. They present this hill as an imaginary territory related to bewitched snakes, rays, thunders, and environmental phenomena such as rain formation, topographic shifts, and stars movements. I will distinguish those beings in analyzing the narrations registered in the Agua Fria de Cima community, correlating them to specialized ethnographic contributions such as Murphy’s monograph.
ASTERISMOS GUARANI: IDENTIFICAÇÃO E ALGUMAS CONTROVÉRSIAS
ASTERISMOS GUARANI: IDENTIFICAÇÃO E ALGUMAS CONTROVÉRSIAS
(GUARANI ASTERISMS: IDENTIFICATION AND SOME CONTROVERSIES)
- Author(s):Luiz C. Borges
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:299-309
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:asterism; astronomy; controversy; culture; Guarani
- Summary/Abstract:Fieldwork is crucial, altogether with the documental, historical and anthropological investigation, in Cultural Astronomy. Thus, one can confirm the asterisms identified in mythical narratives and informers’ statements. From the identification, description, and classification of asterisms and the relations between celestial phenomena and socio-historic features, derives the contribution for better knowledge and understanding of native epistemological systems and the complex relations established between things from things the sky and those of the earth. During the research among the Guarani in Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo in Brazil, there were moments when some discrepancies between informers were noticed about asterisms, especially concerning their location, composition, and cultural role. More than a sort of problem, those disagreements are an anthropological and astronomical material that must be included among the hypothesis of the investigation. In the fieldwork in Espírito Santo in 2013, while some asterisms were identified, some controversies came about. We propose to discuss the discursive role of these divergences in knowledge production systems based on orality.
ETNOASTRONOMIA, COSMOLOGIA E PERSPECTIVISMO AMERÍNDIOS
ETNOASTRONOMIA, COSMOLOGIA E PERSPECTIVISMO AMERÍNDIOS
(ETHNOASTRONOMY, COSMOLOGY AND AMERINDIAN PERSPECTIVISM)
- Author(s):Flávia Cristina de Mello
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:311-320
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:Cultural Astronomy; Ethnoastronomy; Cosmology; Perspectivism Amerindian; Indigenous Americans
- Summary/Abstract:This article results from participation in the Third School and Second Interamerican Conference on Cultural Astronomy, at the first annual meeting of the Interamerican Society for Astronomy in Culture (SIAC) whose theme was “interpretation in cultural astronomy.” It deals with the conceptual aspects that have helped to address the topic of cultural astronomy through astronomy education activities and the training of indigenous teachers of the Guaraní, Tupinambás and Pataxó Hãhãhãe ethnic groups. We briefly describe the elements of the Guaraní and Tupinambá cosmological systems to reflect on the concepts of ethnoastronomy, cosmology, and Amerindian perspectivism and the analytical functioning of these concepts, not only to think about the cultural contexts of contemporary indigenous peoples but also to support the reflections on the cultural systems addressed by archaeoastronomy such as the Mayan, Aztec and Inca people, for example. At the same time, despite extreme cultural changes experienced by the indigenous peoples of America, some cosmological elements such as the importance of the main gods, the sun, and the moon, and their temporal continuity, seem to be transcontinental.
“SI VUELCA LA LUNA...”: CONCEPCIONES ASTRONÓMICAS Y METEOROLÓGICAS ENTRE LOS COLONOS DEL SUR DE LA REGIÓN CHAQUEÑA ARGENTINA
“SI VUELCA LA LUNA...”: CONCEPCIONES ASTRONÓMICAS Y METEOROLÓGICAS ENTRE LOS COLONOS DEL SUR DE LA REGIÓN CHAQUEÑA ARGENTINA
(“IF THE MOON ROLLS...” ASTRONOMICAL AND METEOROLOGICAL CONCEPTS AMONG THE COLONISTS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE ARGENTINEAN CHACO REGION)
- Author(s):Armando Mudrik
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:321-331
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:Ethnoastronomy; Chaco Region; European colonists; Moon; rain
- Summary/Abstract:In this paper, we present a study about astronomical practices related to meteorological phenomena, among European colonists and their Argentinean descendants, in the context of a complex interaction between criollos, aboriginals, and European colonists from different origins and religions who settled in the northern area of the Argentinean province of Santa Fe, which is part of the southern Gran Chaco. These colonists arrived among waves of immigration occurring in Argentina in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. Through ethnographic field research among these immigrants and their descendants, we surveyed observation practices of heavenly bodies to predict critical meteorological phenomena for farming tasks, like rains. We analyze some of these practices to understand the logic behind them and the contact process among the different social groups’ astronomical ideas in the mentioned region. On the other hand, we also explore the tension that has been present for some years between the “old” representations and practices related to the sky and academic knowledge. Besides, we propose a possible observational basis to one of these practices by statistically analyzing the informant’s rainfall records.
HANSÓMETRO: PROGRAMA LIBRE PARA CÓMPUTO DE ARQUEOASTRONOMÍA EN EXCEL
HANSÓMETRO: PROGRAMA LIBRE PARA CÓMPUTO DE ARQUEOASTRONOMÍA EN EXCEL
(HANSÓMETRO: FREE SOFTWARE FOR ARCHAEOASTRONOMY COMPUTING IN EXCEL)
- Author(s):Hans Martz de la Vega, Ricardo Moyano Vasconcellos, Stanislaw Iwaniszewski, Miguel Pérez Negrete
- Language:Spanish, Portuguese
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:335-346
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:free software; archaeoastronomy; calendars of the horizon; instrumental hypothesis; positional astronomy
- Summary/Abstract:We are convinced that there are some possibilities in which archaeoastronomy can broaden its development horizons. In past decades, measurement calculations took considerable time for the researcher. Now it takes only minutes since we have given ourselves the task of developing a program for archaeoastronomy called Hansometro. On this occasion, we present its first part that corresponds to solar measurements. For a specific date and location, each measured structure necessitates using the Sun to obtain azimuth and declination values for the height of the local horizon. When necessary, it also gives the values of lunar declinations (computing the parallax). The program renders the solar and lunar data for the whole year. The Hansometro is free software: with public access on the Internet and open to new elements in the calculus, applicable to the fieldwork in positional astronomy.