Planting Life 2025: Corn, Cosmos, and the Sacred Architecture of Time (Part 2)

In this session of Planting Life, Mayan archaeoastronomer Alonso Méndez reveals the profound astronomical knowledge embedded in ancient Mesoamerican civilization. Drawing from his decades of research at Palenque, Méndez traces how corn became not just sustenance but the foundation of an entire cosmology that linked human life cycles to celestial movements. He explains the remarkable relationship that corn’s 105-day growing season perfectly complements the human gestation period of 260 days to create a full year—a cosmic coincidence that became the basis for the Maya calendar and worldview. Through detailed analysis of temple alignments and hieroglyphic inscriptions, Méndez demonstrates how Maya rulers synchronized their coronations and ceremonies with zenith passages, lunar standstills, and seasonal markers, creating what he calls “sacred architecture of time.” This session reveals how ancient astronomers achieved scientific breakthroughs by calculating forward and backward through astronomical cycles, embedding their creation mythology in stone monuments oriented to celestial events. As Méndez reflects on his teacher Don Antonio, the last traditional keeper of these practices, he emphasizes that “we should all learn to become true persons” who hold the center and maintain the sacred relationship between earth and sky. Alonso offers a stunning dive into how indigenous knowledge systems integrated practical agriculture, sophisticated astronomy, and spiritual practice into a unified understanding of human place in the cosmos. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here.