THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR A LUNAR ARCHAEOASTRONOMY: THE SYMPTOMATIC REIGN OF RULER 13 AT COPAN, HONDURAS

As a student of both Professors Anthony Aveni (archaeoastronomer) and Allan Maca (archaeologist) my time at Colgate University was spent digging in the majestic El Bosque region of Copan, and entering precise geographic and temporal data in sky-simulation programs in snowy upstate New York. As a result, my senior thesis – on the integration of (lunar) archaeoastronomy with archaeology – reflects this unique epistemological position between the academic disciplines of astronomy and anthropology, hard science and social science. In addition the paper presents new data on lunar archaeoastronomy, specifically, the prevalence for gibbous and full moons on historically important dates in Copan, and how the thirteenth ruler physically manifested this concurrence at the urban center. In conjunction with PAPAC’s mission to garner a better understanding and knowledge of urban planning during Classic Period Copan, my thesis explores the extent and degree of power accorded to an ancient Maya ruler, his claims to divinity, and how a divine king asserted, substantiated, and maintained control over a growing cosmopolitan. The following is a textual rendition of the major points of my paper, defended orally for the Colgate Dept of Anthropology this May. For a much more completely and well-supported version, please email me at kvlandau[at]gmail[dot]com. As we continue to update this website, a full version will soon be available online. I’d like to begin with the inspiration for my thesis, a statement made by Keith Kintigh: “It is my suspicion that it will be difficult to link archaeoastronomical observations with serious anthropological questions.” I will relate to you the ‘story’ of my thesis, a three-year project, in chronological order. Chapter 1: Getting Started. My first project in Copan centered on the stelae of the Great Plaza, studying their iconography (and relations to agriculture and the Maize God) and solar archaeoastronomy. Re-examining alignments claimed by some archaeoastronomers among the stelae for a second project, I found that some alignments may not have existed, but those that did could effectively predict the rainy season in Copan. Working more intensively on the stelae and their dates and inscriptions, I found that a certain five were erected under a mostly full or full moon. Chapter 2: Lunar Discovery. Analyzing the time period between stelae erections, a commensuration between the solar-based hot’un (1800 day or 10 year cycle) and the lunar cycle (29.5306 days), such that there are 61 lunations in a single hot’un minus 1.37 days. Three of the stelae were erected on hot’un endings (e.g., X.X.0.0.0, X.X.5.0.0, X.X.10.0.0, or X.X.15.0.0), which also fall under gibbous moons. The two stelae NOT erected on a hot’un ending were still commissioned during the gibbous moon phase. Overall there is a rhythm or harmony of stelae with the lunar cycle; on average, the Great Plaza stelae were erected under full moons. Chapter 3: Meaning of the Full Moon. In many cultures of the world the moon is likened to a rabbit for three basic reasons: (1) they are both nocturnal, (2) they both have a 29/30 gestation period (mimicked in the human female menstruation period), and therefore, (3) they are both linked to fertility. The rabbit may produce up to 75 ‘kittens’ per year, the lunar cycle is literally em-bodied in human beings, and for the Maya in landscapes as well. For the Quiche Maya, the name of the moon changes depending on its phase: waxing moons are considered tender and have negative omens, while waning moons are seasoned and indicate harvest time. In the Pos Classic codices, the eclipse cycles of the sun and moon were codified and recorded in book format – note that a lunar eclipse occurs during a FULL moon. The data contained in the so-called “lunar series” inscribed on Classic Period stelae are found to be accurate and correct according to western astronomical standards. In fact, every ruler at Copan acceded to the throne on a gibbous or full moon; this has a 7% chance of occurring randomly. Stelae were considered the axes mundi, the world tree, defining the layers of the world and the cosmic directions. They indicated sacred place and united the cosmos “all together and at once.” The Maya word for stelae is te tun or lakam tun, meaning “Stone/Year Tree”; stelae are therefore stone embodiments of time, specific times of the year relating to fertility. Therefore all together, the gibbous moon, axis mundi, and the image of a ruler on a stela are a powerful statement, but what does it mean? Chapter 4: Ruler 13’s Symptomatic Reign. Waxaklahun-Ubah-Kawil ruled during the beginnings of the Late Classic era (AD 695-738), occurring, I argue a bit later at Copan on the southeast frontier than the heart of the Maya area. The development of the Late from Early Classic eras are identified by a larger population size, intensive agricultural practices, settlement on less fertile lands, ritualized and bounded space, and a preoccupation with displays of kingly power and authority. This is why I argue that the strong relation the 13th Ruler forged between himself and the full moon marks the LOSS of power and thus his concern to legitimate himself. Therefore Ruler 13’s depiction on the stelae, the stelae as sacred axes of the world, their erection under full moons, and the moon’s relation to fertility, all lead to ideas of fertility and the Maize God. Ruler 13th’s use of a gibbous/full moon is indicative of the unstable nature of Copan, when scholars determined it fluoresced. Chapter 5: Hypotheses in “serious” Anthropological Theory. By definition, the archaeology of landscape studies “physical space perceived and utilized by humans im- and ex-plicitly.” As part of the built environment, stelae and their astronomical connections composed the constructed and conceptualized landscape. I argue that Ruler 13 tactfully coalesced specific phases of the moon with the erection of stelae to, in effect, put himself at the center of the world, uniter of the cosmos, and the be all and end all of this sacred bounded landscape. In terms of cognitive archaeology, archaeoastronomy is another method of accessing the Maya mental template. Chapter 6: Why Does (Lunar) Archaeoastronomy Matter? First of all, this matters because it is the first time we have evidence that the Classic Maya watched the moon closely; this will probably have ramifications in other investigative arenas. Second, this study exemplifies the use of lunar archaeoastronomy in exploring how ancient societies asserted political authority and maintained divine kingship. Third, this paper offers another scientific tool alongside art history and epigraphy for understanding the Maya mind. It effectively answers questions that anthropologists – like Kintigh – might ask.