Final answer:
The Mayans at Chichen Itza designed El Castillo to align with the equinoxes, and the El Caracol observatory to track celestial events. There is no definitive evidence for the Temple of the Jaguar or the Ball Court having specific solar or lunar alignments.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Mayans incorporated celestial phenomena into their architecture at Chichen Itza to reflect their beliefs in several ways:
- El Castillo pyramid is designed to align with the equinoxes. At the spring and fall equinoxes, the setting sun casts shadows on the stairways creating the illusion of a serpent descending, which corresponds to the carved serpent heads at the base of the balustrades.
- The Temple of the Jaguar, although not specifically mentioned for solar alignments, is part of the architectural ensemble that could have celestial significance.
- El Caracol observatory appears to be an ancient Mayan observatory used to track celestial events. Archaeologists believe that the windows were aligned to observe certain astronomical events.
- The Ball Court may have an alignment related to astronomy, but there is no clear indication that it is specifically aligned with the lunar phases.