El Caracol observatory
Observatorio de El Caracol
- Date
- c. 906 CE · confidence medium
- Place
- Chichén Itzá, Tinúm, Yucatán, Mexico
- Credited to
- Maya of the Terminal Classic
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A circular tower with a spiral staircase and windows aligned with the extremes of Venus on the horizon and with solar points. It is a building conceived for astronomical observation.
Aveni (1975). The date of 906 comes from an associated inscription; some alignments may be coincidental.
What it led to
- tracking the cycle of Venus
- the Venus table of the Dresden Codex