Caracol Observatory
Location: Chichen Itza, Yucatan
Description: The Book of Mormon states, “Yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form, doth witness that there is a Supreme Creator: and yet do ye go about, leading away the hearts of this people, testifying unto them there is no God? And yet will ye deny against all these witnesses?” - Alma 16:55. Mysteries of the Ancient Americas states, “Ancient Americans lived close to the heavens. The night skies … were brilliantly clear. We know from surviving codices that wise men sat patiently, watching and calibrating the movements of the chief celestial objects and constellations. Their observations … were extremely accurate. The Maya, for example, who could successfully predict solar eclipses, determined the seasonal year to an equivalent of 365.2420 days; contemporary science calculates it as 365.2422 days.” [25] A Mayan observatory (Caracol - kar-uh-kol) can be found within the ruins of Chichen Itza.
Photo of the observatory at Chichen, Itza. Photo copyright © Church of Christ (Temple Lot) Board of Publications, used with permission.
Location: Chichen Itza, Yucatan
Description: The Book of Mormon states, “Yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form, doth witness that there is a Supreme Creator: and yet do ye go about, leading away the hearts of this people, testifying unto them there is no God? And yet will ye deny against all these witnesses?” - Alma 16:55. Mysteries of the Ancient Americas states, “Ancient Americans lived close to the heavens. The night skies … were brilliantly clear. We know from surviving codices that wise men sat patiently, watching and calibrating the movements of the chief celestial objects and constellations. Their observations … were extremely accurate. The Maya, for example, who could successfully predict solar eclipses, determined the seasonal year to an equivalent of 365.2420 days; contemporary science calculates it as 365.2422 days.” [25] A Mayan observatory (Caracol - kar-uh-kol) can be found within the ruins of Chichen Itza.
Photo of the observatory at Chichen, Itza. Photo copyright © Church of Christ (Temple Lot) Board of Publications, used with permission.
Copyright © 2011 Church of Christ (Temple Lot) AVA Committee
