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Building J at Monte Alban: A Correction and Reassessment of the Astronomical Hypothesis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Damon E. Peeler  and
Marcus Winter
Damon E. Peeler
Affiliation:
Apartado Postal 638, Rancagua, Chile
Marcus Winter
Affiliation:
Centro INAH Oaxaca, Pino Suárez 715, 68001 Oaxaca, Oaxaca, México
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Abstract

A remeasurement that corrects the previously reported orientation of Building J at Monte Albán, Mexico, suggests that the “pointer” angle did not point to any prominent star or group of stars. New data, however, do strongly relate this structure to both astronomy and the calendar. We propose that the principal function of the building was as a calendar temple.

Una remedición que corrige la orientación previamente aceptada del Edificio J de Monte Albán, México, sugiere que la esquina “apuntadora” del edificio no señalaba ni a una estrella prominente ni a un grupo de estrellas. A pesar de esto, los nuevos datos indican una relación de este edificio, tanto con la astronomía como el calendario. Proponemos como función principal del edificio la de un templo de calendario.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 6 , Issue 4 , December 1995 , pp. 362 - 369
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1995

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References

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