Abstract
Many cultures of antiquity have made naked-eye observations of large sunspot displays. The Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and Greeks, have all made such observations. Pictorial evidence on dated Mesoamerican monuments suggests that similar observations may have been made in the New World as well. In this regard, Tomb 1 at Rio Azul is of particular interest. Within the tomb, murals depict a spotted Sun God as the father of Tikal king Snout (Yax Nuun Ayiin I). Therefore, the murals of Tomb 1 corroborate the information gleaned from Stela 31. However, the iconography at Rio Azul is more explicit, with the Sun God displaying two Kin signs on his head. As in the previous report on Stela 31, the spotted Sun God is probably a reference to the naked eye sunspot series terminating in 400 AD that presaged the end of Curl Snout's life in 404 AD.
Highlights
The Larger ContextOur Sun is a variable star, with active and quiet periods marked by the presence and absence of sunspots
Since Mayan political and mythological material is often dated, it becomes possible to correlate the presence of the spotted Sun God with the actual physical condition of the Sun as evidenced by Far East Asian sunspot observations and physical data
The presence of a spotted Sun God is indicative of high solar activity, while the absence if cheek spots are indicative of a quiet Sun
Summary
Our Sun is a variable star, with active and quiet periods marked by the presence and absence of sunspots. Group III comprise traditions for which no evidence of direct sunspot observation is currently known, but have produced indirect evidence of solar activity (e.g. Nilometer records, auroral sightings) These include ancient Egyptian, Islamic, and Roman traditions. Group IV is comprised of those cultures for which no solar activity related information is currently known to exist This group contains Sumerian, Assyrian, and Megalithic European traditions, as well as the Olmec, Anasazi, Sinagua, and Hohokam cultures of the New World. It is hoped that this background section puts the Mayan observations in their proper context with respect to other astronomical traditions and, perhaps, points out a few ways forward for future research in this vast area of scholarship that will undoubtedly require many lifetimes of careful analysis to complete
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