Aztec farming calendar accurately tracked seasons and leap years. Without clocks or modern tools, ancient Mexicans watched the sun to maintain a farming calendar that precisely tracked seasons and even adjusted for leap years. Before the Spanish arrival in 1519, the Basin of Mexico’s agricultu
Rising sun viewed from the stone causeway of the solar observatory on Mount Tlaloc, Mexico. The view aligns with the rising sun on February 24, coinciding with the Mexica calendar’s new year. Credit: Ben MeissnerWithout clocks or modern tools, ancient Mexicans watched the sun to maintain a farming calendar that precisely tracked seasons and even adjusted for leap years.
Though colonial chroniclers documented the use of a calendar, it was not previously understood how the Mexica, or Aztecs, were able to achieve such. New University of California, Riverside research demonstrates how they did it. They used the mountains of the Basin as a solar observatory, keeping track of the sunrise against the peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
To find that spot, the researchers studied Mexica manuscripts. These ancient texts referred to Mount Tlaloc, which lies east of the Basin. The research team explored the high mountains around the Basin and a temple at the mountain’s summit. Using astronomical computer models, they confirmed that a long causeway structure at the temple aligns with the rising sun on Feb. 24, the first day of the Aztec new year.
The stone causeway of the solar observatory in Mount Tlaloc, Mexico, aligns with the rising sun on February 23–24, in coincidence with Mexica calendar’s new year. Credit: Ben Meissner Learning about Aztec tools that did have practical use offers a lesson about the importance of using a variety of methods to solve questions about the natural world.
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