Archaeologists in Mexico have identified a 2,500-year-old solar observatory that may offer new clues about ancient Mesoamerican astronomy. The discovery in Puebla’s northern mountains marks the first documented observatory of its kind outside the Maya region, according to Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
The observatory stands at Teteles de Ávila Castillo, an ancient settlement in Puebla’s Sierra Norte region. Researchers found that its pyramidal structures were carefully positioned to track the sun and mark important dates in the agricultural calendar.
Ancient solar observatory reveals advanced astronomical knowledge
The discovery followed an analysis of Mesoamerican urban planning and the alignment of ancient buildings. Similar research has identified ancient equinox alignments at Cuicuilco in Mexico. Alberto Diez Barroso Repizo, director of the archaeological project, said the settlement’s builders considered both the surrounding mountains and the astronomical horizon when planning the site.
The observatory forms part of a ceremonial complex known as Group E. It features a rectangular courtyard between two platforms. The eastern platform measures 90 meters long and 40 meters wide, while the smaller western structure served as an observation point.
A 2,500-year-old solar observatory discovered in Mexico is rewriting what researchers know about ancient Mesoamerican astronomy.
Found outside the Maya region, the site reveals how ancient civilizations tracked the sun and marked important calendar dates. pic.twitter.com/enr8OlYQ6l
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) October 20, 2026
Diez Barroso said the layout resembles a Maya astronomical complex at Uaxactún in Guatemala. Both date to the Middle Preclassic period, between 1000 and 600 B.C. According to the archaeologist, the Mexican complex is twice as large and is the oldest known example of its kind in the country. Similar ceremonial layouts have also been documented at Aguada Fénix, an ancient Maya site in southern Mexico.
Unlike some similar observatories, the central alignment of the eastern platform did not mark the equinoxes. Instead, it identified the beginning of the Mesoamerican calendar in February and the harvest season in October.
Researchers also confirmed that observers could track the sun’s position during equinoxes and solstices. Other discoveries, including ancient Zapotec inscriptions linked to a lunar calendar, show how early Mesoamerican societies measured time.
Discovery raises questions about Maya and Totonac origins
The findings may also shed light on early Maya-speaking populations. Diez Barroso suggested that Maya groups could have occupied the area during the first millennium B.C., potentially offering clues about the origins of the Huastec people.
He also proposed a possible religious connection to Nantehuitz, a Nahua goddess, based on the alignment of the site’s largest structure with Canopus, the second-brightest star in the night sky. That interpretation remains unconfirmed. Researchers are separately investigating whether the settlement’s inhabitants were ancestors of the Totonac people.
Tetelihtic was occupied from around 900 B.C. to A.D. 100. Although residents gradually abandoned the settlement, ceremonial offerings dating from A.D. 100 to 600 suggest continued religious activity. A later Totonac offering, dated to A.D. 600–900, suggests possible cultural connections with communities that eventually settled at Yohualichan in Puebla and El Tajín in Veracruz.
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