Astronomical References in the Throne Inscription of the Palace of the Governor at Uxmal
1996; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 6; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1017/s0959774300001712
ISSN1474-0540
AutoresHarvey M. Bricker, Victoria R. Bricker,
Tópico(s)Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
ResumoThe Palace of the Governor at Uxmal is known from previous scholarship to be associated with Venus in terms of both its sculptural decoration and its orientation, which is aligned to an infrequently occurring extreme position of Venus on the horizon. A hieroglyphic inscription above the central doorway of the Palace is shown here to relate specifically to the concern with Venus and other celestial phenomena. Part of the inscription depicts zodiacal constellations, and its uppermost row is a sort of map of the constellations at the ‘base of the sky’ at the time of the Venus alignment. The Throne Inscription from Uxmal may now be recognized as one of the major sources of information about the pre-Columbian Maya zodiac.
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