A research team in Mexico has made a fascinating discovery about the Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacan, the site of an ancient city near modern-day Mexico City. Their research suggests that the pyramid is aligned with the sun on the summer and winter solstices, a finding that has sparked debate among experts.
Teotihuacan, a city that flourished between 100 B.C. and A.D. 800, was home to a population of around 100,000 people. The Pyramid of the Moon, built in stages between A.D. 1 and 350, is located at the end of the “Causeway of the Dead,” a street running through the city’s center.
The research team meticulously collected data, including drone flight information, to reveal a precise alignment. On the summer solstice, occurring between June 20 and 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun rises over the El Xihuingo volcano and aligns with the northeast corner of the Pyramid of the Moon. During the winter solstice, between December 21 and 22, the sun sets behind a hill and aligns with the southwest corner of the pyramid.
The team believes the summer-solstice alignment with the volcano is particularly intriguing, as evidence suggests the people of Teotihuacan used the volcano as an astronomical observatory. Aarón González Benítez, an archaeoastronomer at the National School of Anthropology and History in Mexico, explained that petroglyphs known as dotted crosses on the slopes of the El Xihuingo volcano might have served as astronomical markers.
The pyramid’s alignment with the solstice sun may have influenced the city’s overall orientation. González Benítez suggests that Teotihuacan’s reticular design might have been guided by the Pyramid of the Moon’s solar orientations, leading other monuments to follow the same canonical orientation.
The name “Pyramid of the Moon” is somewhat misleading, as the structure’s alignment suggests a focus on the sun rather than the moon. González Benítez explained that the Mexica people, founders of the Aztec Empire, named the pyramid after the city’s abandonment, and we don’t know what the original inhabitants called it.
Interestingly, the other pyramid at Teotihuacan, called the “Pyramid of the Sun,” aligns with the “lunistices” (lunar standstills), the times when the moon appears at its highest or lowest points in the sky.
While some of the team’s results align with previous research, not all experts are convinced. Steven Gullberg, a professor of cultural astronomy at the University of Oklahoma, acknowledged the alignment findings but believes they warrant further debate within the field.
Ivan Sprajc, head of the Institute of Anthropological and Spatial Studies at the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, expressed skepticism, arguing that the Pyramid of the Moon underwent modifications throughout its construction, making it difficult to believe the solstice alignment was intentional.
The research team is currently writing a book detailing their findings and has released a documentary on their discoveries, adding further fuel to the ongoing discussion about the intricate astronomical knowledge of the ancient Teotihuacan civilization.
