Mexico: Chichen Itza and Uxmal

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The Observatory at Chichen Itza provides sight lines to the setting of Venus, the solstices and equinoxes. Were the Mayans heir to an advanced astronomical knowledge?

The step pyramid of Quetzalcoatl/Kukulkan at Chichen Itza, a monument to the feathered Serpent.

The cult of death - the gruesome face of MesoAmerican sacrifice.

The monuments of Uxmal, according to Stansbury Hagar, are terrestrial counterparts of the zodiac.

The 'House of the Pigeons', Uxmal, correlated by Hagar with the zodiacal constellation of Taurus.

The Central Ball Court, representing the constellation of Leo in the sky-ground scheme of Uxmal.

The façade of the House of the Governor, Uxmal - a terrestrial counterpart to Gemini.

All photographic images are copyright © 1999 Santha Faiia. None of the images may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.