Keywords

Casas Grandes, mound, astrology, archaeology

Abstract

The fourteenth-century site of Paquimé represents the apogee of the Casas Grandes cultural tradition. Monumental architecture such as effigy mounds and ball courts contrast sharply with other sites in the U.S. Southwest/Northwest Mexico. In particular, the Mound of the Cross, a cardinally aligned mound structure, suggests that those at Paquimé were aware of and may have tracked celestial bodies as part of a seasonal round. Findings also suggest that the alignment of the cross can be attributed to solar patterns that are different than today’s due to earth’s precessional cycle.

Original Publication Citation

Searcy, Michael T., and David Derrick 2012 Astronomical Implications for the Mound of the Cross at Paquimé, Chihuahua, Mexico. Paper presented at the 77th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Memphis, Tennessee.