Archaeoastronomy page of Gregg Grist (Home Research Archaeoastronomy )
Report page 1 2 3 4 5 6


Tikal Adventure: Looking for the Ancient Skies of the Maya

Author: Gregory R. Grist, Physics and Astronomy Department, San Francisco State University

Abstract:
Archaeoastronomy is the study of ancient astronomy practices and uses. As astronomy tends to show itself in the culture of virtually all people, it is usually through cultural artifacts that we find its evidence. We today have cultural influences drawn from astronomy, such as the "Star Wars" movies, numerous television shows and universal interest in our own endeavors, such as the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. Ancient cultures also had influences from astronomy such as the Chinese Zodiac and Egyptian star clocks and calendars. Many of these cultures have left us megalithic examples of their use of astronomy, such as Stonehenge in Britain and Chichen Itza in the Yucatan.

The Maya utilized large pyramidal structures and written almanacs in their astronomy. Their ideas can be seen today, not only in the many clusters of surviving stone structures scattered around the ancient Mayan region, but in the textiles of the modern Maya. Tikal itself is interesting as it is the largest surviving cluster, with over 3,000 ancient Mayan structures and therefore should be rich in archaeological evidence. I conducted an intensive investigation through the Internet, various sources in scientific literature, visited the site and consulted with members of the University of Pennsylvania, their charts, maps and reports. I was unable to find definitive evidence of astronomical practices at Tikal

Tikal 2001 Research Paper Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 [Next]


Updated 5/15/2002