Resumen

ŠPRAJC, Ivan  y  SANCHEZ NAVA, Pedro Francisco. Astronomy in Chichén Itzá Architecture: a Reappraisal. Estud. cult. maya [online]. 2013, vol.41, pp.31-60. ISSN 0185-2574.

A recently accomplished systematic study of architectural orientations in the Maya Lowlands has revealed the existence of widespread and enduring alignment patterns, which can only be explained with the use of astronomical references at the horizon. The analyses of a large data sample have led us to conclude that the important civic and ceremonial buildings were oriented predominantly to sunrises and sunsets on certain dates separated by calendrically significant intervals, which suggest the use of easily manageable observational schemes intended to monitor the slippage of the calendrical year relative to the year of the seasons, apparently with the purpose of ensuring a proper scheduling of agricultural activities and the corresponding rituals. The results of this research shed a new light on the astronomical and calendrical significance of orientations of the main buildings of Chichén Itzá, one of the most important sites included in our study, and allow a reassessment of former interpretations.

Palabras llave : Chichén Itzá; architecture; orientations; archaeoastronomy.

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