Aztecs, Mayans marveled at eclipses — and predicted them with precision

This should have a prominent place in school science texts.

Astronomers across the ages have looked up to the skies and marveled at eclipses. Using different numerical systems, the Aztecs and the Mayans observed eclipses and could predict with precision when the next one would occur. In fact, they could have predicted Monday’s solar eclipse with small margins of error, experts say.

Anthony Aveni is a retired professor from Colgate University and author of many books on archaeoastronomy, including “In the Shadow of the Moon: The Science, Magic, and Mystery of Solar Eclipses.” According to Aveni, the Aztecs used to say they designed the founding of the city of Tenochtitlán — where modern-day Mexico City now sits — to coincide with an eclipse in 1325.

“It’s a way of saying, ‘That’s when our empire began,’ connect that with the beginning. (It’s) probably not true,” he said, but saying the city’s foundation coincided with an eclipse helped give it more importance.

The Aztecs registered many eclipses, and it’s possible their calendar stone depicts the death of the sun god Tonatiuh at the hands of an eclipse monster, said Susan Milbrath, curator emeritus of the Museum of Natural history in Florida, in a recent New York Times special section about eclipses.

The Mayans also left a record of their astronomical knowledge in books known as codices, especially in the Dresden Codex. The book now resides in Germany and is one of only four codices to survive Spanish colonial officials’ burning of the books, Aveni said.

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