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
Subject(s): Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
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.

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