A 60-metre-tall scorpion statue mound in Mexico could coincide with the summer solstice

Giant scorpion-shaped mounds built centuries ago in Mexico may coincide with the winter and summer solstices, a new study has found.

Archaeologists recorded the 205-foot-long (62.5-meter) mound in 2014 while investigating a prehistoric irrigation system in the Tehuacán Valley, about 160 miles (260 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City. Several artifacts and offerings were discovered at the scorpion mound, allowing the research team to date the mound to the Late Classic and Early Postclassic periods (c. 600 to c. 1100 AD).

The scorpion statue mound has remained surprisingly intact over the centuries. The head, body, pincers, and tail are carved from a mixture of earth and rock piled up to a height of 80 centimeters (31 inches). The research team discovered artifacts buried where the “needle” would have been.

you may like

“The characteristics of this type of doll are extremely rare in Mesoamerica,” the researchers wrote in the study, which was published Aug. 29 in the journal Ancient Mesoamerica.

James Neely, the study’s lead author and professor emeritus of archeology at the University of Texas at Austin, said the discovery suggests that ordinary Mesoamericans, not just elites, looked at the skies and monitored astronomical phenomena.

“This is the first evidence that knowledge and control of astronomical phenomena based on solar observations was not entirely controlled by elites,” Neely told Live Science via email.

observatory

The scorpion is one of 12 mounds that appear to be part of a civil and ceremonial complex that spans approximately 22 acres (9 hectares) and includes what appears to be a looted burial ground or storage facility. The researchers say the complex may have been used for astronomical observations, helping farmers perform rituals and know when to plant and harvest crops.

Some mounds have rooms and walls, but only the scorpion has a specific shape, making it an idol mound, a mound of earth intentionally formed into a specific shape, symbol, or figure. Thousands of earthen mounds built by Native Americans have been discovered in North America, but doll mounds are “remarkably rare” in Mesoamerica, and scorpions are rare.

The scorpion, known as Tlāhuizcalpantēcuhtli, was a powerful deity in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica. Many Mesoamerican peoples considered it a god of the heavens and a prominent figure among the pantheon of Aztec gods. To Mesoamericans, Trahuis carpantecutri represented the morning star Venus, the researchers wrote in the study.

While studying the scorpion mound, the researchers noticed that it was oriented east-northeast, a clue that it coincided with the summer solstice sunrise, they wrote in their paper. To investigate, the researchers calculated the sun’s orbit at both the summer and winter solstices.

you may like

“We estimate that on the morning of the summer solstice, if a person were to witness through a ‘stingle’ (a circular ceramic lump that is likely at the end of a scorpion’s tail), the sun would rise at the tip of the north (left) claw,” the researchers wrote in the study.

Image 1/2

A piece of centuries-old pottery found by archaeologists at the Scorpion Statue Mound.

Archaeologists discovered Molcajete’s offering in the scorpion mound. (Left) shows the artifact as it was discovered; (right) shows the artifact with the cover bowl removed.

The researchers noted that the summer solstice was an important ceremonial day in Mesoamerica, marking the beginning of the rainy and planting seasons.

“In the days leading up to the summer solstice, the sun rose between the two claws, signaling the arrival of the rainy season and allowing local farmers to prepare for rice planting,” the researchers added.

Similarly, the winter solstice sunset was also associated with scorpion mounds. The research team discovered that when people stand on the tips of their left toes, they can see the sunset beyond the needles.

“Based on these estimates, [scorpion] “The mound would allow users to determine the dates of both the summer and winter solstices, a common arrangement in Mesoamerican architecture,” the researchers wrote in the study.

Among the artifacts found at the Scorpion Statue Mound were fragments of bowls, jars, and plates. The archaeologists also wrote that they found fragments of molcajetes (tripod bowls used for grinding food), as well as incense burners and hollow figurines that may have been associated with rituals.

Professor Neely said the discovery of the mound and observatory within the irrigation canal shows the complexity of the Mesoamerican civilization that built them, adding: “This points to a prehistoric campesino.” [countryside farmers] Like their modern counterparts, they lived a life of self-determination and greater independence from elite and state control. ”