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Uaxactun - Part 2 Structure E-VII-B is a truncated square based pyramid with stair leading up on each side flanked by stucco masks. The other structures of Group E are 3 temples on a platform aligned along the eastern edge of E-VII-B. From the
top of Pyramid E VII B, solstice sunrises appear at the outer corners
of the facing temples on the north and south. The middle temple of Group
E is aligned with the equinox sunrise. The summer solstice rising sun
appears at the leftmost temple, while the winter solstice rising sun appears
at the rightmost temple.
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Although it is commonly referred to as an observatory, Griffith Observatory Director Dr E.C.Krupp in his book Echoes of the Ancient Skies(1983) comments that the alignments at Group E are more a public "stage for the seasonal drama of the sun" than an actual functioning observatory. This is because the site only allows for passive "ritual observation", instead of the active procurement of information about a celestial event and the employment of that knowledge to predict future events, or use it in other ways, as a "genuine observatory" should allow. | ||
