Possible Mesoamerican Naked-Eye Observation of Sunspots – VII: Evidence from the Jade Mask of Río Azul and Related Artifacts

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. These observations are still important because they give astronomers data about solar activity prior to telescopic observations beginning in 1610. A detailed examination of diverse objects from the Mayan Early Classic Period, described in reports I, III, IV, V, and VI of this series, suggests that the Maya were also monitoring naked-eye solar activity. This extra data set is of great importance because there are some discrepancies between Asian records (usually considered reliable) and what would be expected from 14 C measurements and other physical data. One of these discrepancies will be resolved in this report using Mayan data. Mayan Sun God iconography shows the appearance of a spotted Sun God during times of high solar activity and a spotless Sun God during periods of the quiet Sun. Up to this report, four criteria were used to select artifacts for the series of papers in this study: 1) the artistic motif must be present (Sun God with or without spots), 2) the artifact upon which the image occurs must be datable, 3) solar activity levels must be verifiable by direct observation from some other ancient culture, 4) observations must be substantiated by physical data (e.g. 14 C and 18 O data, tree ring analysis, nilometer data, etc.). And, of course, the artifacts chosen should span the Early Classic Period. It is natural to ask if other spotted deities track physical solar activity as well. In this report, the appearance of spots on the Venus God is examined. Venus is a close companion of the Sun, both physically and by familial relationship within the Mayan pantheon. The datable Jade Funerary Mask of Río Azul is one such Venus God image. Other Venus God images are also examined. The appearance (ca. 400 AD), disappearance (668 AD), and reappearance (ca, 700 AD) of facial spots on solar deities as a function of time seems to track solar activity and is in agreement with physical data.