There the author explains that the Maya buildings and stelae indicate the equinoxes and solstices, the zenith and nadir, the seasons of rain and drought, the changes in the setting sun, and the lunar cycles: of tremendous assistance for planting and harvesting. Ana Leslie Escalante has in publication progress her Master’s thesis, where she evaluates the place occupied by astronomy in the Pre-Hispanic Maya architecture. This was the task of Master in Architecture Ana Leslie del Carmen Escalante Canto, who accompanies us in these reflections. These conclusions have been reached after detailed observation and conscientious study of the research done by an interdisciplinary team including archaeologists, anthropologists, architects, designers, historians, sociologists, and astronomers, among other experts. To the point of concluding that, observing them, they could predict the future of mankind. And because this was the basis for their sustenance, they deduced that the stars intervened in the well-being of the people, in general, and the governors, in particular. Their interest in astronomy came about because they noticed that the position of the stars influenced their agriculture. This included those buildings which housed the political powers, due to its identification with the Maya cosmogony.īased on these intentions, they created their buildings with orientation toward the heavenly bodies: the Sun, the Moon, Venus, the Clusters, and Sirius. They devised an architecture projected toward the outside, in which the monumental buildings were conceived to be seen from the exterior, making an impression on the people of their symbolism and sacred destiny. They didn’t remain there for long periods of time only long enough for refuge and rest. Their lodgings were rudimentary and built with perishable elements. They cooked and socialized in open areas. The life of the Maya used to take place in the cultivation fields, the patios of their homes, and in the public spaces.
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