Maya and Aztec astronomy: Skywatching in prehispanic Mesoamerica

Abstract The Aztecs, Maya and other Mesoamerican peoples achieved advanced knowledge of the regularities of the apparent motion of the Sun, Moon and various planets visible with the naked eye, particularly Venus. Much of this knowledge enabled orientation in space and time and was particularly useful for scheduling agricultural activities. However, since the celestial order is apparently superior to that on Earth, the phenomena observed in the sky were believed to exert influence on earthly affairs. Therefore, the exact astronomical knowledge was intertwined with religious beliefs and ritual performances, and this complex worldview had a prominent role not only in subsistence activities but also in the political ideology of the ruling class. The relevant information is contained in the imagery and hieroglyphic texts in prehispanic manuscripts or codices, mural paintings, sculpted monuments and other archaeological objects, as well as in early colonial written sources and ethnographically documented survivals of prehispanic concepts. Important data are also provided by architectural orientations, most of which were laid out on astronomical grounds, largely referring to the Sun’s positions on the horizon on certain dates.