Puebla solar observatory discovery dates back 2,500 years

The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has confirmed the discovery of a pre-Hispanic solar observatory in Teteles de Ávila Castillo, located in the Sierra Norte of Puebla, Mexico. Dating back over 2,500 years to the Middle Preclassic period (approximately 1000–600 BCE), the site is the first of its kind confirmed outside of the Maya region.

Known as Tetelihtic or Group E, the architectural complex consists of a quadrangular courtyard flanked by two platforms. The eastern structure, measuring roughly 90 by 40 meters, and the smaller western platform, measuring 46 by 27 meters, served as observation points. Unlike some Maya structures, this observatory was specifically designed to track the solar cycle to manage an agricultural calendar, marking key dates such as the start of the Mesoamerican calendar in February and the harvest season in October.

Archaeologist Alberto Diez Barroso Repizo, director of the Teteles de Ávila Castillo Archaeological Project, noted that the site’s layout shows significant similarities to the Group E complexes found in Uaxactún, Guatemala. This discovery provides new insights into how astronomical knowledge and ceremonial architecture were shared among diverse Mesoamerican cultures, including the Maya, Huastec, and Totonac peoples.