E-Group astronomical complexes
Conjuntos astronómicos Grupo E
- Date
- c. 950 BCE · confidence medium
- Place
- Ceibal, Sayaxché, Petén, Guatemala
- Credited to
- Maya of the Early Preclassic
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What was discovered
A plaza with a pyramid to the west and an elongated platform to the east, aligned with sunrise at the solstices and equinoxes. It is the oldest Maya public architecture and served as a calendrical marker.
Inomata et al. (2013). The precise astronomical function of each E-Group is debated.
What it led to
- 365-day Maya calendars
- an architectural pattern found in dozens of Maya cities