Human history is like a tapestry woven with mysteries shrouding different civilisation. Among these, the ancient Maya civilisation shines distinctively for their profound ingenuity and wisdom. With the sparkling night sky as their canvas and rudimentary techniques as their brushes, they painted the universe with their astronomical hypothesis so accurately that astound us even today! These astronomical tools were the bedrock of modern civilisation, a key that unlocked the celestial enigmas, paving the way for their remarkable achievements.
In this article, we will dig deeper into the Maya astronomical tools and their uses.
What is Maya’s Astronomy
Maya astronomy is the study of different astronomical phenomena and celestial bodies depicted by the ancient Precolumbian Maya Civilisation of Mesoamerica. They had a completely developed writing system and positional numeral system that aided the design of some most precise pre-telescope astronomy in the world.But how did this ancient civilization, sprouted from the fertile soils of Central America, touched for the sparking stars and arose as one of the most astronomically advanced societies in the world? Let’s dig deeper into their roots.
The Onset of the Mayan Civilisation
The inception of the Mayan civilisation was traced back to 500 BEC when the Olmec Empire – one of the most ancient civilisations in Mesoamerica – met its decline due to environmental changes and societal unrest. Over time, Mayans started extending their influence to much of Central America, including what are now Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. This expansion was attributed to their incredible knowledge in various fields, such as mathematics, astronomy and agriculture. The rudimentary writing and calendar system inherited from Olmec further flared up their cultural ingenuity and progression.
In the first century CE, the Mayans enriched their civilisation by introducing the number zero – a rare event that no Eurosian civilisation could discover at that time. They were expert observers – the development of a complex calendar system that interlocks three calendars named the Tzolk’in, the Haab’, and the Long Count, is a testament to their advanced understanding of time and astronomical cycles. The exact time when this calendar system was developed could not be traced. However, it’s assumed that Mayans developed it somewhere between 250 CE to 900 CE and was in use by at least the Preclassic period (2000 BC to 250 AD).
They were the ultimate builders of human civilisation that brought some of the massive and enormous temples to life. Even more starkly, many of these monumental structures are still standing as a testament to the Maya’s architectural prowess, and technological ingenuity.
Astronomy played a pivotal role in the Mayan civilization, forming a significant part of their scientific, cultural, and spiritual pursuits. From 900 CE to their extinction by the Spanish in the 17th century CE, they honed their astronomical knowledge. They could near-accurately chart the position of planets, developed tables to predict eclipse and planet movements and more. But what technique did these stargazers use to develop such sophisticated tables with amendments to predict planet movements? We will discuss it in the later portion of the article.
Mayan Astronomy
The Mayans were the ultimate maestros of the celestial orchestra who could observe the cosmic dance with no complex instrument – their naked eye was their solitary guide, a silent witness to the majesty of the boundless cosmos unfolding across the eons. Even though they had no knowledge of sextants or armillary spheres at that time, Mayans, with simple tools like cross sticks and careful observation, could almost accurately track the positions of celestial bodies and create their intricate calendar systems.
Thanks to the massive sky-high structures built by the Mayans that they used to monitor position. For example, they built some buildings facing towards the midsummer while some had windows and doors aligned with the most southerly or northerly rising of Venus.
Observing the Heavens: The Zenith Passage and Cross-Stick Method
Zenith passage – the time when the sun is at its highest point and passes directly overhead – was one of the key elements of the astronomical observation of Mayans. For any location between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn, the sun is at its highest point twice a year, at midday. In the ancient Maya city of Chichén Itzá, these used to occur on May twenty second and July nineteenth. During these times, no vertical object has any shadow. Mayans used to observe this event from the column they built near the Temple of the Warriors. This observation facilitated the development of the calendar Tzolk’in. They calculated the number of days between two zenith passages and subtracted it from 365 to measure the length of the solar year.
In addition, they used a simple yet effective technique – gnomon/ “cross-stick” where a stick is placed perpendicularly on a vertical stick into the ground. By monitoring the shadow of the still over the day and year, the Mayans used to track the sun’s path and reckon the significant dates like solstices and equinoxes.
Precision Timekeeping: Advanced Calendar Systems
The calendar system Mayans developed is a testament to their astronomical prowess. As we have already stated, the Maya calendar consists of two calendars: the Tzolk’in that counts a year in 260 days and the other one is Haab’ with 365 days a year. These two calendars used to coincide every 52 years. This period is known as a Calendar Round and holds special significance in the ancient Mayan culture. Architectural Alignment: Buildings and Celestial bodies.
As we know, the Mayans were adept astronomers and some of the structures like temples and pyramids were built based on celestial events. For instance, the famous E Caracol at Chichen Itza was used as an observatory and built to align with the path of Venus through the year. From the structure, you can still gaze at the sky and mesmerise yourself with the phenomenal cosmic views, thanks to the sky-high building and its strategically placed windows. Mayans even used pyramids to track the path of stars and understand seasonal changes.
Don’t get astounded by knowing that they had even built wells used as observatories to track zenith passage.
Predictive Astronomy: Eclipses and Planetary Movements
The Mayan were not only a stargazer, observing the cosmos keenly, they were the ultimate celestial virtuoso who were experts in interpreting various cosmic events like solar and lunar eclipses. Thanks to their advanced knowledge on mathematics and observatory skills that helped accurately predict these events. Needless to mention, these predictions were woven into the complex Mayan calendar system.
Mayans, the cosmic navigators, not only interpret the celestial events, but they also documented these to get better insights. One of the few documents of the Maya civilisation belonging to the pre-Columbian era is the Dresden Codex. The tables and predictions of the Mayans about celestial events demonstrate their astronomical prowess and accuracy. Even more astounding, they documented a Venus table in the book that predicts the movement of Venus for countries!
Kudos to the Cosmic Conquerors, the Maya!
Mathematical Systems
Mayans hold a grasp on mathematics as well that significantly facilitated their astronomical inventions. That time, they had the knowledge of zero (0) and used a vigesimal (base-20) number system. It helps them perform intricate calculations. Their hang on mathematics also facilitated the development of the Maya calendar system.

Patsy Todd, the enthusiastic voice behind Science Digest, brings the wonder of science to life for young explorers. With a knack for transforming complex concepts into captivating experiments, she inspires a new generation of curious minds to discover the joys of hands-on learning.