Teotihuacan's 15.5-degree offset orientation may relate to the 260-day calendar. Teotihuacan's entire city layout is oriented 15.5 degrees off cardinal directions, a pattern maintained from the first buildings through the grid road system The Avenue of the Dead and Pyramid of the Moon align with Cerro Gordo, the largest mountain on the horizon Ivan Šprajc proposed that 260 days pass between the two annual sunrises at the 15.5-degree azimuth, matching the Mesoamerican sacred calendar (the Maya Tzolk'in)
Teotihuacan's entire layout sits 15.5 degrees off cardinal, aligning the Avenue of the Dead with Cerro Gordo. Ivan Šprajc proposed the two annual sunrises at this azimuth fall 260 days apart, matching the sacred Mesoamerican calendar. At latitude 15.5, those dates correspond to zenith passage, a pattern also seen at Copan.
Key Facts
- Teotihuacan's entire city layout is oriented 15.5 degrees off cardinal directions, a pattern maintained from the first buildings through the grid road system
- The Avenue of the Dead and Pyramid of the Moon align with Cerro Gordo, the largest mountain on the horizon
- Ivan Šprajc proposed that 260 days pass between the two annual sunrises at the 15.5-degree azimuth, matching the Mesoamerican sacred calendar (the Maya Tzolk'in)
- At the latitude of 15.5 degrees, those same two sunrise dates correspond to days of zenith passage, when the sun passes directly overhead
- The Maya city of Copan, at latitude 15.5 degrees, shows alignments recognizing zenith passage, and Chocola, another Maya city at that latitude, has similar alignments identified by archaeologist Howie Green
- Copan represents the southernmost extent of Teotihuacan's known influence, raising the possibility of a connection between the city's orientation and its geographic sphere of influence
Related site: Teotihuacan — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: Exploring the Greatest Mysteries of Teotihuacan by Archaeologist Ed Barnhart