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Astronomy and Architecture in the El Palmar Area, Campeche, Mexico
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2025
Abstract
Archaeoastronomical studies accomplished in recent decades have revealed that the important civic and ceremonial buildings in the Maya area and elsewhere in Mesoamerica were oriented on astronomical grounds. The dates recorded by solar orientations, which prevail, and the intervening intervals composed easily manageable observational calendars that facilitated the planning of agricultural and related ceremonial activities in the yearly cycle. Here we argue that the orientations of several major buildings we measured at the archaeological site of El Palmar, Campeche, Mexico, either in the field or on visualizations of the lidar-derived relief model, reflect the same principles because they belong to widespread solar alignment groups previously identified in the Maya Lowlands. We also present ethnographic and ethnohistorical evidence that supports our interpretations. In addition, our results show that the orientations of more than a hundred minor structures in a broader area of El Palmar conform to those of major buildings, indicating that even less important structures reproduced, although approximately, the astronomically functional alignments. Along with several other Mesoamerican sites and areas where such emulations have been observed, the case of El Palmar demonstrates that the astronomically and cosmologically significant directions materialized in the built environment allow us to understand some prominent aspects of pre-Hispanic cultural landscapes.
Resumen
Estudios arqueoastronómicos realizados en las últimas décadas han revelado que los importantes edificios cívicos y ceremoniales en el área maya y en otras partes de Mesoamérica fueron orientados a partir de criterios astronómicos. Las fechas registradas por las orientaciones solares, que prevalecen, y los intervalos intermedios pudieron incorporarse en calendarios observacionales fácilmente manejables que facilitaron la programación de actividades agrícolas y rituales relacionados en el ciclo anual. En este trabajo argumentamos que las orientaciones de varios edificios importantes que medimos en el sitio arqueológico de El Palmar, Campeche, México, ya sea en campo o en las visualizaciones del modelo de relieve derivado de los datos LiDAR, reflejan los mismos principios, ya que pertenecen a los grupos de orientación identificados previamente y ampliamente difundidos en las tierras bajas mayas. También presentamos los datos etnográficos y etnohistóricos que respaldan nuestras interpretaciones. Además, nuestros resultados muestran que las orientaciones de más de cien estructuras menores en un área más extensa de El Palmar se ajustan a las de los edificios principales, lo que indica que incluso estructuras menos importantes reprodujeron, aunque de forma aproximada, los alineamientos astronómicos observacionalmente funcionales. Junto con varios otros sitios y áreas de Mesoamérica donde se han observado tales emulaciones, el caso de El Palmar demuestra que las direcciones astronómica y cosmológicamente significativas materializadas en el entorno construido nos permiten comprender algunos aspectos prominentes de los paisajes culturales prehispánicos.
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