TIEMPEROS: Meteorological specialists from the pre-hispanic indigenous cosmogony of Mexico, and the use of technology to promote astronomy and atmospheric sciences

Abstract

AbstractThe cult of the mountains, the wind and the request for “good rain” constitute today,the fusion of pre-Hispanic religious beliefs and meteorological knowledge in the agricultural development of central Mexico. Understanding this cult of the earth, from an indigenous perspective, led by certain specialists who have extensive knowledge of the landscape and meteorology, called Tiemperos, is a fundamental and necessary feature for the development of atmospheric sciences and the inclusion of rural villages in environmental research, carried out in certain areas of Mexico. Understanding the world in which these specialists are inserted is complex if one does not have a joint vision of the ethnographic data and the social relevance that the Tiemperos have on the communities. During 2018 I carried out an investigation on the request of rain and “goodweather” rituals that are carried out year after year in certain areas of central Mexico. From that initiative we developed an educational model and a prototype weather station that could be designed, built and adapted to the needs of each community, considering the traditions and teachings of the local Tiempero. Making use of microcontrollers, basic electronics, and a traditional indigenous technique, each station was built and designed with the people of the community where it would be installed, with the idea of involving and enriching scientific meteorological knowledge, which could be useful for each community. The project, still in development, included meteorological stations designed by the author and built by the communities, a series of educational exercises for children involved in the project and the proposal of a “goodweather” ritual using the data collected by the meteorological stations, with the intention of using technology and science-based information with traditional indigenous practices giving way to new forms of research and inclusion of science in remote communities in Mexico.