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Test 5 study guide (Interpreting the skies)
Introduction to Maya Astronomy: Information based on Maya Astronomy was found in Grolier codex
and the Dresden Codex.
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Agricultural surplus lead to SPECIALIZATION!
Astronomers came from the nobles/priests class
The Maya believed in 13 heavens and 9 hells
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The bacabs held up the cardinal points: North: White, West: Black, South: Yellow, East: Red.
Importance of Astronomy for the MAYA (reason they observed the sky)
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They believed that the Gods sent them messages through the events in the skies.
Agricultural planning, organization and scheduling depended on it. (WHY???)
Was how they kept measurement of time.
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They paid keen attention to; Sun, Stars, Venus, Moon
Phenomena observed: Equinox (day and night of equal length), Solstice (shortest or longest day/night), Solar
Zenith (highest point of the sun), Equatorial (tilt of the Earth relative to pole star).
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Instruments/Methods/ Techniques used: solar dagger, gnomon, alignments, visual record keeping,
zenith tubes.
Major objects observed:
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Select Two and Describe each of them.
They observed the sun (kinich Ahau): They followed it year round, used it to say the time of the
day, Kinich Ahau would shine in the sky all day before transforming himself into a jaguar at night
to pass through Xibalba, the Maya underworld.
The observed Venus; They observed the full cycle of Venus, the Maya made daytime
observations of Venus, the Maya were timing some of their wars based on the stationary
points of Venus and Jupiter, Humans were sacrificed on the first appearance, when Venus was
at its dimmest magnitude.
They observed the moon (ixchel): Was as important as the sun!, Ixchel the moon goddess
battled the sun and made him go into the underworld every night!
They observed the stars: The stars moved across the heavens but stayed in positions relative to
each other, the stars shift seasonally and were used by Maya astronomers to predict when the
seasons would come and go.
Solar Calendar
The solar calendar or Haab
calendar
Number
- Dealt primary with seasonal changes
and agriculture; Is similar to the
calendar of today!
Day
name
s
month
- Has 365 days
-18 UINALS (MONTHS)
Each month has 20 days
-There is one month with 5 days
(unlucky days- Uayeb)
- Each Uinal (month) had a patron!
- Each Month went from 0 to 19! (still
The Tzolkin!
-Used for agricultural purposes and beginning of religious ceremonies
- has 260 days in a year, 20 day names, it works with 13 day cycles (trecena)
Trecena 1
day- kin
month-uinal
year-tun
century-Katun
baktun- millennium
Trecena 2 starts
-E groups: Are
Architectural structures
aligned for astronomical
observation (Solstice &
Equinox)
-Used to function also as
religious center and was
for agricultural
predictions.