Calculating brilliance : an intellectual history of Mayan astronomy at Chich'en Itza

To the modern eye, the architects at Chich'en Itza produced some of the most mysterious structures in ancient Mesoamerica. The purpose and cultural influences behind this architecture seem left to conjecture. The people who created and lived around this stunning site may seem even more mercurial. Near the structure known today as the Great Ball Court and within the interior of the Lower Temple of the Jaguar, a mural depicts a female Mayan astronomer called K'uk'ul Ek' Tuyilaj. Weaving together archaeology, mathematics, history, and astronomy, Calculating Brilliance brings to light the discovery by this Mayan astronomer, which is recorded in the Venus Table of the Dresden Codex. As the book demonstrates, this brilliant discovery reverberated throughout Mayan science. But it has remained obscured to modern eyes. Jumping from the vital contributions of Ilaj K'uk'il Ek', Gerardo Aldana y Villalobos critically reframes science in the pre-Columbian world. He reexamines the historiography of the Dresden Codex and contextualizes the Venus Table relative to other Indigenous literature. From a perspective anchored to Indigenous cosmologies and religions, Aldana y Villalobos delves into how we may understand Indigenous science and discovery--both its parallels and divergences from modern globalized perspectives of science. Calculating Brilliance brings different intellectual threads together across time and space, from the Classic to the Postclassic, the colonial period to the twenty-first century to offer a new vision for understanding Mayan astronomy. To the modern eye, the architects at Chichen Itza produced some of the most mysterious structures in ancient Mesoamerica. The purpose and cultural influences behind this architecture seem left to conjecture. The people who created and lived around this stunning site may seem even more mercurial. Near the structure known today as the Great Ball Court and within the interior of the Lower Temple of the Jaguar, a mural depicts a female Mayan astronomer called K'uk'ul Ek' Tuyilaj. Weaving together archaeology, mathematics, history, and astronomy, Calculating Brilliance brings to light the discovery by this Mayan astronomer, which is recorded in the Venus Table of the Dresden Codex. As the book demonstrates, this brilliant discovery reverberated throughout Mayan science. But it has remained obscured to modern eyes. Jumping from the vital contributions of K'uk'ulEk' Tuyilaj, Gerardo Aldana y Villalobos critically reframes science in the pre-Columbian world. He reexamines the historiography of the Dresden Codex and contextualizes the Venus Table relative to other Indigenous literature. From a perspective anchored to Indigenous cosmologies and religions, Aldana y Villalobos delves into how we may understand Indigenous science and discoveryboth its parallels and divergences from modern globalized perspectives of science. Calculating Brilliance brings different intellectual threads together across time and space, from the Classic to the Postclassic, the colonial period to the twenty-first century to offer a new vision for understanding Mayan astronomy. To the modern eye, the architects at Chich'en Itza produced some ofthe most mysterious structures in ancient Mesoamerica. The purposeand cultural influences behind this architecture seem left toconjecture. The people who created and lived around this stunningsite may seem even more mercurial. Near the structure known todayas the Great Ball Court and within the interior of the Lower Templeof the Jaguar, a mural depicts a female Mayan astronomer calledK'uk'ul Ek' Tuyilaj. Weaving together archaeology, mathematics,history, and astronomy, Calculating Brilliance brings tolight the discovery by this Mayan astronomer, which is recorded inthe Venus Table of the Dresden Codex. As the book demonstrates,this brilliant discovery reverberated throughout Mayan science. Butit has remained obscured to modern eyes. Jumping from the vitalcontributions of K'uk'ul Ek' Tuyilaj, Gerardo Aldana y Villaloboscritically reframes science in the pre-Columbian world. Hereexamines the historiography of the Dresden Codex andcontextualizes the Venus Table relative to other Indigenousliterature. From a perspective anchored to Indigenous cosmologiesand religions, Aldana y Villalobos delves into how we mayunderstand Indigenous science and discovery-both its parallels anddivergences from modern globalized perspectives of science.Calculating Brilliance brings different intellectualthreads together across time and space, from the Classic to thePostclassic, the colonial period to the twenty-first century tooffer a new vision for understanding Mayan astronomy To the modern eye, the architects at Chich'en Itza produced some of the most mysterious structures in ancient Mesoamerica. The purpose and cultural influences behind this architecture seem left to conjecture. The people who created and lived around this stunning site may seem even more mercurial.Near the structure known today as the Great Ball Court and within the interior of the Lower Temple of the Jaguar, a mural depicts a female Mayan astronomer called Ilaj K'uk'il Ek'. Weaving together archaeology, mathematics, history, and astronomy, Calculating Brilliance brings to light the discovery by this Mayan astronomer, which is recorded in the Venus Table of the Dresden Codex. As the book demonstrates, this brilliant discovery reverberated throughout Mayan science. But it has remained obscured to modern eyes.Jumping from the vital contributions of Ilaj K'uk'il Ek', Gerardo Aldana y Villalobos critically reframes science in the pre-Columbian world. He reexamines the historiography of the Dresden Codex and contextualizes the Venus Table relative to other Indigenous literature. From a perspective anchored to Indigenous cosmologies and religions, Aldana y Villalobos delves into how we may understand Indigenous science and discovery--both its parallels and divergences from modern globalized perspectives of science.Calculating Brilliance brings different intellectual threads together across time and space, from the Classic to the Postclassic, the colonial period to the twenty-first century to offer a new vision for understanding Mayan astronomy To the modern eye, the architects at Chich'en Itza produced some of the most mysterious structures in ancient Mesoamerica. The purpose and cultural influences behind this architecture seem left to conjecture. The people who created and lived around this stunning site may seem even more mercurial. Near the structure known today as the Great Ball Court and within the interior of the Lower Temple of the Jaguar, a mural depicts a female Mayan astronomer called K'uk'ul Ek' Tuyilaj. Weaving together archaeology, mathematics, history, and astronomy, brings to light the discovery by this Mayan astronomer, which is recorded in the Venus Table of the Dresden Codex. As the book demonstrates, this brilliant discovery reverberated throughout Mayan science. But it has remained obscured to modern eyes. Jumping from the vital contributions of Ilaj K'uk'il Ek', Gerardo Aldana y Villalobos critically reframes science in the pre-Columbian world. He reexamines the historiography of the Dresden Codex and contextualizes the Venus Table relative to other Indigenous literature. From a perspective anchored to Indigenous cosmologies and religions, Aldana y Villalobos delves into how we may understand Indigenous science and discovery--both its parallels and divergences from modern globalized perspectives of science. __Calculating Brilliance__ Cover Title page Copyright Contents Preface Introduction 1. Ernst Förstemann and the Dresden Codex Venus Table 2. B’ahlaj Chan K’awiil and Celestial Warfare in the Late Classic Period 3. The Books of Chilam Balam and the Quest to Correlate Calendars 4. Molecular Biology, Jasaw Chan K’awiil, and Radiocarbon Dating 5. Processions and Precontact Time-Space Ritual Activity 6. Incensarios and the Public Life of the Venus Table 7. Oracular Science 8. Discovering K’uk’ul Ek’ Tuyilaj’s Discovery at Chich’en Itza 9. Venus, Quetzalcoatl, and the K’uk’ulkan Sodality 10. The Third Correction Interval, Mayapán, and Tawiskal Uwoojil 11. Science, Astronumerology, and an Abstraction of Capital-ism References Index About the Author "This book contextualizes the discovery of a Venus astronomical pattern by a female Mayan astronomer at Chich'en Itza and the discovery's later adaptation and application at Mayapan. Calculating Brilliance brings different intellectual threads together across time and space, from the Classic to the Postclassic, the colonial period to the twenty-first century to offer a new vision for understanding Mayan astronomy"-- Provided by publisher