The Magical Alignments of the Mexican Pyramids

by Dr. Rafael A. Lara Palmeros, CEFP (Mexico)

"To you, to me, Stonehenge and Chartres Cathedral

are the work of the same Ancient Man under different names:

we know what He did and even what He thought he believed in,

but we don't know why...."

W.H. Auden

Whenever we delve into the book of human history, we can see that humankind, in any location it has settled, has preserved a genetic-chromosomal-memory tradition, according to the late Robert Charroux, which produced extraordinary doctrinal parallels in different civilizations. For centuries, the pyramids have fascinated the human spirit all over the world. An infinite number of theories have been put forth to explain their construction; however, we do not know for sure the reason or reasons which prompted our ancestors to build such extraordinary monuments. In spite of it all, one thing remains certain: our ancestors were perfectly aware of the relationship between man and the Universe and therefore, with nature...something which 20th century man has been struggling to find

As Told in Tradition

Fray Bernardino de Sahagún states:"...in coming toward the southlands in search of Paradise, they were not wrong, since in the opinion of many writers, it was located beneath the equinoxial line, and to think of it on top of a mighty mountain is also correct, since the sources also tell us that the Earthly Paradise was beneath the equinoxial line and on top of an extremely tall mountain whose summit reaches the moon..." (1). The codexes and oral traditions of Pre-hispanic peoples dealt with a variety of sciences (astrology, mathematics, etc.) and that these manifested themselves in a variety of arts ranging from architecture to poetry. Within this tradition, mountains exerted a quasi-mystical sway over the mesoamerican peoples. To the Egyptians, the mountain, and the hill represented places of birth and resurrection. To the Babylonians, hills and mountains played a role in the development of their pyramids or seven-story ziggurats which represented the Cosmic Mountain. It has been proven that the majority of these theocratic states had their origin in mountainous locations and that these, regardless of geographical location, have been related to the supernatural and all-powerful (i.e, Macchu-Picchu, Olympus, Mt. Sinai, etc.).

To the Mesoamericans, mountains were highest parts of the Earth to come into contact with the sky, the clouds and above all else, the stars. Our native ancestors made pilgrimages there to leave offerings (which have been found at the Xinatecatl, Citlatepetl, Popocatepetl, Matlacueye e Ixtaccihuatl--Mexico's five tallest volcanoes). The Aztecs built a beautiful temple on the summit of a mountain in Malinalco; at Tepoztlán, famous for its UFO sightings, they built a temple whose walls presented bas-reliefs of symbolizing the 18 months of the Nahuatl calendar and the 4 directions.

The Nahoa codexes, such as the Nutall, Huamantla and others, feature smoking mountains-- volcanoes, hills, etc. Volcanoes were considered dual entities, since their eruptions would cause destruction yet their ashes were a source of fertility, leading our ancestors to believe in a dualist religious philosophy inspired by such opposing factors.

Archaeoastronomy and Vulcanoastronomy

Sir Eric Thompson (2) was one of the earliest and foremost proponents of Archaeoastronomy, the branch of archaeology which correlates the discoveries of the past and their relationship to the stars. An example of this would be the descent of the Serpent, Kukulkan's emblem, down the balustrades of the El Castillo pyramid in Chichen Itzá during the equinoxes (3).

In 1986, following in-depth research on the subject, Mexican scholar Rubén Morante promoted his theory of Vulcanoastronomy, a belief that did not explain all of the alignments in direct relationship with volcanoes, did relate to them, given that pyramids were mountain-shaped constructions, places where Men and Gods could be close to one another (4). In 1992, this author and the Archaeological Investigation Group (AIG) of the CEFP , took up Dr. Morante's initial research considering that the vulcanoastronomical theory deals with an entire system of orientation and location of pre-hispanic buildings and cities, based on the Sun's position, on important positions of the calendar, in the location of other archaeological sites and above all, by the presence of volcanoes. It was for these reasons that our research was undertaken at 7 Mexican volcanoes and the country's most important archaeological sites.

Orientation of the Pre-Hispanic Structures

The construction of temples, pyramids, mounds, etc. in the pre-hispanic world was the subject of methodical work by its builders. The symbolic factors which played an important role in the construction projects were numerous, and for this reason, the architect needed to have an exhaustive knowledge of his own religion, astronomy, geography, geology and the arts of his profession. Orientation had a mystical-astrological quality, and humans were so influenced by these calendars that they lived their lives on them. Almost all pre-hispanic structures are oriented toward the cardinal points, and although their builders knew this, the axises of many of their buildings were not entirely precise, perhaps due to the existence of a point in space which caused the deviation, such as the paths of other heavenly bodies (Venus, Mars, etc.). as Arveni and others have stated (5). However, this event could have come about due to the presence of volcanoes and mountains which are the prominent points during sunrise and sunset, and which exerted a considerable influence on the religious beliefs of our forebears. Our investigation led us to note that there is a natural alignment in central Mexico between the Sun and the two largest volcanoes: The Pico de Orizaba (Citlatepetl) and Popocatepetl, which are linked by the sun's rays during the equinoxes. It is our belief that this alignment can be seen from the slopes of the volcanoes themselves and was taken as the basis to designate such a key point during the equinox, serving as the inspiration for a pyramidal orientation and location system (bear in mind Cheops, Stonenhenge, etc). The builders therefore possessed a clear understanding of sacred geometry.

Our method consisted of pure observation, witnessing the equinox from the slopes of Popocatepetl and the winter solstice from the ruins of Teotihuacán, with the sun rising exactly from behind the Pico de Orizaba. When visual location was not possible, we would go to the volcano or to the corresponding archaeological site to determine the geographical north-south axis; on some occasions it was necessary to wait for sunrise or sunset during the corresponding equinox or solstice in order to measure the angle of the sun's direction on the horizon. Through the use of an azimuthal table it was possible to transfer the lines to a map in order to see the projection sites and form an alignment. It was also interesting to find out if the ancient Mexicans possessed geographical charts (at this time no maps covering large areas are known to exist); however, there are pictographic documents showing roads, terrain features, bridges, etc. There is also a unit of measure called "matl" which means "arm" in Nahuatl, and equals 1 rod (6).

Source of the Alignments

The earliest pre-hispanic settlements were chosen for a variety of factors (natural resources, rivers, food, etc.). It is believed that the calculations used to establish the vulcano-astroarchaeological orientation was necessary prior to the occupation of a given site. The earliest site presenting such an orientation is Tlatilco (Lower Preclassic Period, up to 1500 years BCE), which was settled by primitive crop-growers. During the Middle Preclassic (1300 BCE), Tlatilco was exposed to Olmec influences, but why would the Olmecs have chosen such a site? Tlatilco is located at the spot from which the sun could be seen to emerge from the Ixtaccihuatl volcano on the day of the winter solstice. The Olmecs, on their trajectory toward the Anahuac Valley, had already seen the alignment between the Popocatepetl and the Citlatepetl peaks during equinoxes, which inspired the mystico-magical practices of this culture. The Olmecs arrived at the shores of southeastern Mexico 1500 years BCE. Playing an important role in the development of prehispanic cultures, the founded San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán and La Venta somewhere between 1000 and 800 BCE. It is highly significant that they were volcano-worshippers, since offerings were left on the edge of the San Martín volcano's crater in the vicinity of Los Tuxtlas. The pyramid at La Venta is also based upon a volcano. This site represents an alignment of various axises.

Magical Orientation of the Archaeological Sites

For purposes of our study, we employed geographic charts using a scale of 1:1,200,000 and 1:3,500,000 from the Office of Cartography and Projections of the Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (S.C.T.), two of which correspond to central Mexico and four corresponding to the Mesoamerican region in general.

In Map 1, Line A indicates the only direction from which the sun can be seen to rise behind the summit of Ixtaccihuatl during the winter solstice, where we can find Tlatilco ("the place of hidden things"). In Map 2, we can see that La Venta is related to two volcanoes: The Pico de Orizaba (Citlatepetl) and La Malinche. We must bear in mind that La Venta was used as the basis for the alignment of 7 dwelling places of that region, 3 in the Nahuatl area and 4 in the Maya area. However, it is possible to find three additional alignments in another two archaeological sites: Cuicuilco and Teotihuacan, the former which was built 600 years BCE and which presents a clear relationship to La Venta and volcanoes. Two facts establish this: first of all, its conical configuration with a circular base, very similar to the La Venta Pyramid, and second, the fact that the God of Fire was worshipped at Cuicuilco.

In Map 2, Line C links La Venta to Cuicuilco, crossing the Iztaccihuatl, a volcano which had already made its presence felt in another Preclassic era alignment at Tlatilco. Teotihuacán betrays evident Olmec influence and 2 alignments toward La Venta, the first of which occurred on 2 dates -- May 19th and July 25th -- the only days of the year in which the sun reaches the highest place in the firmament on the parallel occupied by Teotihuacán (see Map 2, Letter D). The 2nd alignment considers the Teotihuacán axis and its characteristic deviation of 15 degrees 30' east of true north, which has so intrigued archaeologists. If this axis is extended toward the southeast, it is related with another line linking the La Malinche and Pico de Orizaba volcanoes (Map 2, Letter B). It must be noted that Tula, Palenque, Yaxchilán, Piedras Negras and Chichen Itza align with La Venta. P. Gendrop (7) believes that there is an important alignment between these cities. Map 2, Letter B shows four important locations: the continuation of the Teotihuacán axis, making a straight angle with La Malinche, Pico de Orizaba and La Venta. If we continue southward, we will find that Palenque also falls into alignment.

Yaxchilán aligns with La Venta when the sun's rays strike the San Martín Volcano and Tula on the morning of the winter solstice (Map 3, Line E). Piedras Negras transits' zenith at sunset with Teotihuacan and Tula.

Chichén Itza aligns with La Venta on the dawn of the summer solstice (Map 4, Line F).

The Copán/Xochicalco Alignment

These two unique cities feature bas-reliefs depicting the celebration of "astronomical conventions" held in pre-hispanic America, whose purpose was to make adjustments to the calendar during leap years. There is sufficient evidence to believe that there was contact between the astronomers of both cities in spite of the great distance between them (8). The Line which runs from the dawn of the winter solstice makes Copán align with Xochicalco both on May 15th and on June 29th. On these dates, an alignment occurs at both dawn and dusk--unique in the entire world--indicating astonishing astronomical computations by the astronomers in each metropolis. Said calculations established the basis of the calendars which guided the regions indicated by La Venta: the Nahoa and Maya areas, respectively.

The Monte Albán Alignment

Under Olmec influence, this is one of Mesoamerica's oldest sites (7th century BCE). Monte Albán is related to Xochicalco (Map 5, Letter H). The alignment between Tikal and Monte Albán comes about on the equinoxes, and the one between Monte Albán and Uxmal on the dawn of the summer solstices. On the sunset of that very same day, Monte Albán aligns itself with the Pico de Orizaba and Cofre de Perote volcanoes and the El Tajín pyramid.

The El Tajín Alignment

El Tajín, located to the south of the port of Pánuco near the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, can be found in the Totonacapan area, which is divided into the La Huasteca and the Maya region of southeastern Mexico. El Tajín is a contemporary of Xochicalco, Tulum, Uxmal and Chichén Itzá, as well as of Monte Albán. It is in alignment with Uaxactún, Chichén Itzá and Tulum (the Tajín pyramid is a true calendar, possessing 365 niches). Uaxatún has an alignment during the winter solstice with the site upon which El Tajín would later be built (Map 3, Line M). Chichén Itzá aligns with El Tajín on the equinoxes shortly before the serpent of light and shadows is projected by the sun's rays down the balustrades of Kukulkan's temple (9). On the sunset of that day, El Tajín aligns with Tulum (Maps 4 and 5, Lines N and O), giving us two Maya cities which on 3 very important dates (winter solstice and both equinoxes) point toward El Tajín, the most visible and massive calendar in Mesoamerica, which then returns the alignment to a third Maya city: Tulum. It should be noted that Uxmal also comes into contact with Tula during the equinoxes (Map 4, Line P)

Winter Solstice Alignment and the Volcanic Axises of the Altiplano

There are six alignments which constitute irrefutable proof of the continuity of cosmological ideas which span nearly 3,000 years since the first tribes along the margins of Lake Texcoco welcomed the Olmecs until the Spanish Conquest. While Cuicuilco and Teotihuacán had La Venta as their base, they were also related to the volcanoes and the dawn of the winter solstice. On the other hand, the builders of Cuicuilco, Tlatilco and Teotihuacán itself chose sites which aligned on the dawn of the winter solstice with Mexico's three tallest volcanoes--Pico de Orizaba or Citlatépetl (5747 mts), Popocatépetl (5,452 mts), and Ixtaccihuátl (5,286 mts). It is very important to note that Tenochtitlán was also built on the line aimed at Tlatilco on the winter solstice, when the sun rose toward Iztaccihuatl (Map 1, Line A), as well as the alignment which includes Popocatépetl-Cofre de Perote-Malinche, if extended toward the south, where we can find a direct relation to Xochicalco, a ceremonial center of great importance in ages past (Map 1, Letter G).

Map 6 presents us with a line running from Tlatilco and Cuicuilco which is bisected by another running from Pico de Orizaba to the Nevado de Toluca volcano, passing through Cholula and Popocatépetl. Another line runs across the Iztaccíhuatl toward Tenochtitlán, or another line reaches La Malinche and bisects Teotihuacán. If we measure the angles formed by these lines, they are all practically 90 degree angles.

The most astonishing fact isn't that the ceremonial centers followed almost identical blueprints in their construction, but that they belonged to populations that did not belong to the same era (Tlatilco predates Cuicuilco, which in turn flourished before Teotihuacán, which had been abandoned 600 years prior to the founding of Tenochtitlán).

The traditions of building temples over "magical" volcanic axises inspired the cosmology with endured throughout the history of Mexico's civilized cultures.

Conclusions

Based on the investigation conducted, we may draw the following conclusions:

1. Many cultures on Earth, including the Mesoamericans, have considered mountains to be mystical places which enabled them to be closer to the stars as well as the gods, laying down the basis of the calendar, the cornerstone of their agriculture.

2. Human constructions, above all those presenting a mystical-religious character, were oriented according to the solstices and the equinoxes. This practice was followed in Mexico, only that here the stars were seen in relation to the mountains, thus creating a system of alignments that is unique in the world.

3. The idea of taking volcanoes, along with the sun, as the basis for orienting structures, must have emerged from the observation of the alignment between Pico de Orizaba and Popocatépetl on the equinoxes.

4. In Mexico, mountains became the models upon which pyramids were built: trunco-conical shapes such as those of La Venta and Cuicuilc

5. Alignments come about when at least three important features (volcanoes, ceremonial centers and the location of the sun during equinoxes and solstices, or days of transit zeniths on sunrises and sunsets) are located on a straight line drawn between them.

6. The practice of orienting and locating ceremonial centers began with the Olmecs.

7. In order to carry out these alignments, it was necessary for architects to have a deep understanding of mathematics, sacred geometry, trigonometry, geography and cartography, using both squares, protractors and even the compass, in order to draw large maps, and it is possible that these were made with a precision comparable to our own, and which was 2,000 years in advance as regards the rest of the world.

8. This knowledge was secret and transmitted from one generation to another to a chosen group, which is why it has been lost. An example of this can be found in the actions of Ixcóatl, the Aztec Tlatoani who according to Sahagún (1) burned all of the codexes and paintings to keep them from falling into the hands of the unenlightened.

9. This admirable orientation system, which presents the considerable advancement of the Mesoamerican cultures as regards their contemporaries worldwide, may have sought to mark both the solar points regarding the calendar as well as the location of ceremonial centers so that they could be visited by anyone, whether by land, sea...or air.

ENDNOTES

1. Sahagún, Fray Bernardino de. "Historia General de las Cosas de la Nueva España." Tomo I, Página 14., Editorial Nueva España, S.A., México, 1946.

2. Thompson, J. Eric. "Grandeza y Decadencia de los mayas." p. 225-26. Fondo de Cultura Economica, Mexico, 1959.

3. Arochi, Luis. E. "La pirámide de Kukulkán." Panorama Editorial, México, 1984.

4. Morante, Rubén. "Los alineamientos mágicos de las pirámides mesoamericanas." Edited by the Dirección General de Enseñanza Media del Estado de Veracruz, Jalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, 1986.

5. Aveny, Anthony F. "Astronomía de la América Antigua." p. 18-19. Siglo XXI Editores, Mexico, 1980.

6. Diaz del Castillo, Bernal. "Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva España." Editorial Nuevo Mundo, S. de R.L., Mexico, 1943.

7. Gendrop, Paul. "El México Antiguo". p. 72, Editorial Trillas, México, 1977.

8. Spinden, Herbert J. "Ancient Civilizations of México and Central América." New York, 1922.

9. Piña Chan, Román. "Quetzalcoatl, serpiente emplumada." Editorial Fondo de Cultura Económica, México, 1983