Chapter 22 Chapter 23 The Sun, the Moon, and the Path of the Dead

Some archaeological discoveries are announced with great fanfare in advance and sensationalized at the end; others—for various reasons—are carried out quietly.The latter includes a thick, broad mica plate found between the top two tiers during the restoration of the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan in 1906.This discovery has not attracted public attention; experts and scholars have not done further research on its use.This is understandable, since mica is a highly commercially valuable mineral that was transported away immediately after it was unearthed.The person who stole and sold this batch of mica was apparently Leopoldo Bartres, who was commissioned by the Mexican government to preside over the restoration of the pyramid.

Later, archaeologists discovered another batch of mica in the "Mica Temple" (Mica Temple) in the ancient city of Teotihuacan, but it also did not attract widespread attention.The reason is hard to say, because this time no piracy was involved, and the mica was still intact in the ruins② The Temple of Mica is one of a group of buildings located approximately 1,000 feet south of the west face of the Pyramid of the Sun, with a central courtyard. An archaeological team funded by the "Viking Foundation" pried open the thick stone slabs on the temple floor and unearthed two large pieces of mica - it is obviously an ancient people who were skilled in cutting this mineral , Carefully and carefully installed under the floor of the temple.The two sheets of mica are stacked together, each measuring 90 square feet.

Mica is not a solid substance; mica found in different rock formations contains different trace metals.Typically these metals include potassium and aluminum, and varying amounts of ferrous and ferric iron, magnesium, potassium, manganese, titanium.Trace metals found in the temple of mica in the ancient city of Teotihuacan show that the two sheets of mica installed under the floor were a specialty of Brazil 2,000 miles away.The builders of this temple obviously had a special need for this kind of mica, so they traveled thousands of miles to mine and transport it. Otherwise, why not use nearby materials to save money and trouble.

Most people would not think of using mica on the ground as a floor.The builders of this temple even laid it under the floor, as if they were afraid that others would see it.This is a bit strange, because in all of America, or even the world, we have not found other ancient buildings with such characteristics. It is a pity that we can no longer determine the location of the large piece of mica that was excavated and sold by Bartres in 1906 on the Pyramid of the Sun; we have no way of judging its use now.The two pieces of the mica temple are still well preserved, but they are hidden under the floor. Obviously they have no decorative function, and it seems that they should have some special purpose.It is worth mentioning that the mineral mica has special properties that make it particularly suitable for certain technologies.In modern industry, for example, mica is an essential material for building capacitors; it is an excellent thermoelectric insulator.In nuclear reactors, mica is used as a moderator to moderate the rapid action of neutrons.

Eliminate messages from ancient civilizations Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan I climbed up a row of stone steps, climbed more than 200 feet, climbed to the top of the pyramid, stood on it, and looked at the zenith.It's midday on May 19th, and the sun is just above me, as it was at noon on July 25th.On these two days of the year, the west face of the pyramid faces exactly where the sunset is.This is no accident. Another equally well-designed but more peculiar effect appeared in the spring and autumn seasons-March 20 and September 22.On these two days every year, the movement of sunlight from south to north creates such a phenomenon at noon: a straight, gradually expanding shadow appears on the bottom layer of the pyramid's west face.From total darkness to full light, the whole process lasted 66.6 seconds, no more, no less.Since the construction of the Pyramid of the Sun, it has been like this every year without interruption, until this huge building collapsed and turned into dust④.

This shows that at least one of the many functions of the Pyramid of the Sun is to act as a "permanent clock" to report the coming of the spring and autumn equinox to people on time every year, so that people can correct the calendar when necessary-the nation that built this pyramid is just like the Maya. Humans, with an uncanny focus on the passage and measurement of time.In addition, it also shows that the builders of Teotihuacan possessed a large amount of astronomical and geodesic data, and applied it to the construction of the Pyramid of the Sun to formulate precise azimuths to play the function of predicting the spring and autumn equinoxes.

This is top-notch planning and operations.It has survived the devastation of thousands of years, and it has also survived a catastrophe in the early 20th century: Leopoldo Bartres, a self-proclaimed monument restoration expert, completely renovated the entire shell of the Pyramid of the Sun and gave it a new look.In addition to stealing and selling precious artifacts, keeping us from further understanding of the mysterious building's original function, Bartrez - the impoverished literati kept by Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz - also made the north, east and south sides of the pyramid The outer layers of stone, stucco and plaster were all dug out to a depth of more than 20 feet.The consequences of doing this are very serious. Whenever there is heavy rain, the mud bricks below will dissolve, causing a large amount of soil and rock to be lost, and the entire pyramid may collapse at any time.Although the authorities have taken some remedial measures to temporarily stop the loss of soil and rocks, the pyramid has been completely changed beyond recognition and it is difficult to restore its original appearance.

Measured by the ethics of modern archaeology, this is of course an unforgivable sin. With the 20 feet of outer stone and stucco removed, we can no longer detect the messages contained in the carvings, inscriptions, reliefs, and other artifacts mounted on the pyramid's shell.This is not the worst consequence of Bartres' brutality.Evidence suggests that the builders of the Pyramid of the Sun - whoever they were - may have kept valuable scientific data in key locations within the pyramid.Scholars have collected relevant evidence from the well-preserved west side (this side, where the effects of the spring and autumn equinoxes appear, is still clearly visible today), however, due to the arbitrary destruction and renovation of Bartres, similar information is no longer available. Cannot be obtained from the other three sides of the pyramid.In fact, after the Pyramid of the Sun was messed up by this Mexican "monumental restoration expert", its shape and scale are no longer what it used to be, and our future generations may never be able to find out, what is the ancient city of Teotihuacan? What important message do you want to convey to them.

eternal numbers Transcendental numbers, represented by the Greek letter π, are the foundation of advanced mathematics.It refers to the diameter-to-circumference ratio of a circle, with values ​​slightly over 3.14.Suppose the diameter of this circle is 12 inches, then its circumference is: 12×3.14=37.68.Since the diameter is exactly twice the radius, we can also use π to calculate the circumference of any circle from the radius, but in this case we must multiply the length of the radius by 2π.Taking a circle with a diameter of 12 inches as an example, its radius should be 6 inches, and the circumference can be calculated according to the following method: 6×2×3.14=37.68; similarly, a circle with a radius of 10 inches, its circumference is 67.8 (10×2×3.14 ); a circle with a radius of 7 inches has a circumference of 43.96 (7×2×3.14).

The formula for calculating the circumference of a circle from its diameter or radius, using the value of pi, applies to all circles, no matter how large or small—and, of course, to all spheres or hemispheres.These formulas seem simple enough today, but this major discovery and breakthrough in mathematics came relatively recently in human history.The opinion of orthodox scholars is that Archimedes, a Greek mathematician in the third century BC, was the first to calculate the correct value of π, 3.14⑤.Scholars generally do not believe that any mathematicians in America calculated the value of pi before the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century.Therefore, when they discovered that the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt (built more than 2,000 years before Archimedes) and the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico (built many years before the Spanish invasion), were different in design. They were all surprised when the value of π was used.What confuses them even more is that the two pyramids use the π value in a very similar way; this shows that ancient architects on both sides of the Atlantic were very familiar with and understood this transcendental number.

The geometric construction of any pyramid involves two basic factors: first, the height of the top from the ground; second, the perimeter of the pyramid on the ground.Take the Great Pyramid of Egypt as an example. The ratio between its height (481.3949 feet) and its circumference (3023.16 feet) is exactly equal to the ratio between the radius and circumference of a circle, or 2π⑥.Therefore, if we multiply the height of the pyramid by 2π (as we calculate the circumference of a circle from its radius), we can calculate the circumference of the pyramid exactly: 481.3949 x 2 x 3.14 = 3023.16.Conversely, if we divide the perimeter of the pyramid by 2π, we can also calculate its height: 3023.16÷26÷3.14=481.3949. Such a precise mathematical connection is almost impossible to be a mere coincidence.Therefore, we have to admit that the designer of the Great Pyramid of Egypt did understand the principle of π and deliberately applied its value to the construction of the pyramid. Now, let's look at the Pyramid of the Sun in the ancient city of Teotihuacan.Its four sides have an angle of 43.5' compared to the 52' angle of the Great Pyramid of Egypt.The Pyramid of the Sun has a gentler slope because its base circumference is 2932.8 feet, not much smaller than the Great Pyramid of Egypt, and it is much less tall (about 233.5 feet tall before Bartres' "repair"). The man’s formula that works on the great pyramid of Egypt is not applicable to the sun pyramid, but the 4π formula is able to do it.If we multiply the height of the Pyramid of the Sun (233.5 feet) by 4π, we can calculate its circumference quite accurately: 233.5 x 4 x 3.14 = 2932.76 (within 0.5 inches of the correct figure of 2932.8 feet). Just like the three-dimensional design of the Great Pyramid of Egypt, the π principle used by the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico is obviously not a pure coincidence.Both of these pyramids exhibit a π relationship in their construction, a feature that is absent from other pyramids on both sides of the Atlantic.This fact is enough to prove that in ancient times, humans in these two areas had mastered advanced mathematical knowledge, and they all held some basic "common goal" when they built the pyramids. We just saw that the Great Pyramid of Egypt uses a height/perimeter ratio of 2π, and that such a ratio requires a slope of a very specific and intractable 52 degrees.The height/perimeter ratio of the Pyramid of the Sun is 4π, which also requires an unusual slope (43.5 degrees) to match. If not for some mysterious reason, why did the ancient Egyptian and Mexican architects choose a simpler angle of 45 degrees, just Just cut a right angle in half. What kind of common goal has prompted architects on both sides of the Atlantic to take pains and troubles to accurately incorporate the value of π into the construction of these two pyramids?The civilizations of Mexico and Egypt do not appear to have had any direct contact during the time of the construction of the pyramids, so we have to suspect that, in ancient times, these two regions once inherited some intellectual concepts from a common root. The common mathematical concept presented by the Great Pyramid of Egypt and the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico may be related to "spheres", because such shapes have three dimensions, like pyramids, while ordinary circles have only two dimensions.We seem to be able to infer that in order to symbolically represent spheres on three-dimensional, flat-surfaced buildings, the architects of ancient Egypt and Mexico took the trouble to incorporate the π principle precisely into the design of these two pyramids.Moreover, it seems that these architects intended not to represent a general sphere, but to present a special sphere: the earth. Orthodox archaeologists have so far been reluctant to admit the possibility that some peoples of the ancient world were sufficiently technologically advanced to have an adequate knowledge of the shape and volume of the earth.However, according to the calculations and inferences of Livio Catullo Stecchini, an American professor of history of science and an authority on ancient weights and measures, this "abnormal" scientific knowledge did exist in the ancient world, and the evidence for this It is beyond doubt⑦.Strcini's conclusions are mainly based on his research on ancient Egyptian civilization; the academic circles generally agree that the mathematical and astronomical data he based on are almost impeccable⑧.In Part 7 of this book, we will conduct a more comprehensive inspection and discussion of these conclusions and the data on which Strcini is based.Here, we might as well quote a passage from Strcini to help us understand the mysteries contained in the Great Pyramid of Egypt: Basically, the Great Pyramid presents the northern hemisphere of the earth—using the projection method to express this hemisphere on a plane, just like drawing a map... The Great Pyramid is a projection made of four triangular planes.The top of the pyramid represents the North Pole, and the bottom four sides represent the equator.Therefore, the ratio of its girth to height is given to be 2π.The Great Pyramid presents the northern hemisphere at a scale of 1:43200⑨ In Part 7 of this book, we explore why the architects of ancient Egypt chose such proportions. city ​​of mathematics I walked north along the "Road of the Dead" and looked up to see the Pyramid of the Moon standing ahead - thankfully still in its original four-story pagoda form, untouched by restoration experts.The Pyramid of the Sun was originally a four-level structure, but on a whim, Bartres unexpectedly inserted a new level between the original fourth and fifth levels, making it completely unrecognizable. Fortunately, the Pyramid of the Sun has a feature that Bartres cannot destroy: an underground passage leading from a natural cave under the western tower to the inside of the pyramid. After the passage was accidentally discovered in 1971, archaeologists began a thorough exploration.Seven feet high, the tunnel extends more than 300 feet eastward to the geometric center of the pyramid, where it opens up into a wide cavern shaped like four connected clover leaves.These four "leaves" are actually four inner chambers, each about 60 feet in circumference, where various handicrafts are placed, such as exquisitely carved green discs, polished mirrors and so on.A complicated drainage system is also installed inside the pyramid, which consists of many interlocking stone water pipes. It is this drainage system that confuses archaeologists the most, because there is no water source inside the pyramid.However, the existence of the sluice shows that there must have been abundant water flow here in ancient times.This reminds me that on the "Road of the Dead", on the north side of the ancient castle, I have seen water gates and separation walls installed along the road, which proves that this road used to have water flow.The research of engineering expert Schlemmer also specifically mentioned the pool of this ancient city and its earthquake prediction function (see Chapter 22 of this book). The more I think about Schlemmer's theory, the more I feel that in Teotihuacan, "water" is indeed a ubiquitous symbol.Looking back now, I find that the Quetzalkotel Temple in the city not only enshrines the stone statue of the "Feathered Serpent", but is also full of symbols related to water, especially various wave figures and many exquisite stone shells.While thinking about these images, I walked around and finally came to the square at the bottom of the Pyramid of the Moon.In my imagination, this broad square, filled with water as ever, was about ten feet deep, and it looked magnificent, vast, and peaceful. In the remote Andean city of Tihuanaco, the Yakapana Kuling pyramid (see Chapter 10 of this book) is also surrounded by water. "Water" is the main decoration and image of these two cities. I started climbing the Pyramid of the Moon.It is smaller than the Pyramid of the Sun and less than half the size - according to expert estimates, the Pyramid of the Moon is composed of 1 million tons of stone and dirt, while the Pyramid of the Sun uses 2.5 million tons.The two pyramids add up to a total weight of 3.5 million tons.Scholars believe that at least 15,000 workers are needed to process such a huge amount of building materials, and even with such manpower, it will take at least 30 years to complete the construction of the pyramid. ⑩ At that time, Teotihuacan City and its adjacent areas did have such ample manpower—according to the estimates of experts from the "Teotihuacan Mapping Project" (Teotihuacan Mapping Project), in its heyday, the city's population was as high as 200,000, much more than the city of Rome in the imperial era.The same group of scholars also pointed out that the area covered by the monuments that survive today is only a small part of the ancient city.At its peak, the city of Teotihuacan covered an area of ​​12 square miles, with 2,000 apartment buildings, 50,000 private houses, 600 small pyramids and temples, and 500 rooms specializing in pottery, figurines, gemstones, and shell decorations. , "factory" made of black pottery and slate ⑾. I climbed to the top of the Pyramid of the Moon, stopped, turned around and looked around, and saw that the hillside under my feet gradually sloped to the south, forming a valley, and the ancient city of Teotihuacan was located in the valley - in prehistoric times, a group of unknown people A neat geometric city designed and built by famous architects.On the east side, overlooking the straight "Road of the Dead", the Pyramid of the Sun stands in the city, which has been "transmitting" the mathematical messages absorbed long ago since ancient times, reminding people to carefully observe the shape of the earth.It seems to me that the civilization that built Teo Aihuacan deliberately converted complex information into codes and stored them in strong buildings; in order to achieve this, they used the language of mathematics. Why use the language of mathematics? Perhaps it is because no matter what major changes human civilization will encounter, the radius of a circle multiplied by 2π or the half of the radius multiplied by 4π) will always be equal to the circumference of the circle.In other words, they chose the language of mathematics for practical reasons: unlike ordinary language, it will always be understood, even after thousands of years, people living in different cultures will understand how to interpret it. I was again forced to face the heart-wrenching fact that an entire period of human history may have been forgotten.Standing on the top of the Pyramid of the Moon, overlooking this city of mathematics where the gods live, I have to suspect that human beings suffer from severe amnesia; the dark days that we contemptuously call "prehistoric times" may hide A secret in the development of human civilization. Isn't the so-called "prehistoric" the forgotten era without any records left?Doesn't the so-called "prehistoric" refer to the chaotic period that our ancestors experienced but has disappeared from our consciousness and memory?It was from such a chaotic period that the city of Teotihuacan appeared before us with all its mysteries, asking us to decipher the mathematical code hidden in the lines of astronomy and geodesy.From the same period emerged the great carvings of the Olmecs, the unusually precise calendar inherited by the Mayans from their predecessors, the enigmatic figures on the Nazca plateau in Peru, the mysterious ruins of the ancient city of Emperor Huanaco in the Andes... …and many, many other miracles of unknown origin. As modern people, we seem to have awakened from a long, nightmare slumber and entered the daylight of history. However, those faint, ghostly haunting echoes in the dream continue to haunt us. ... Notes: ① "Mysteries of the Mexican Pyramids", p. 202. ②Ibid; "Teotihuacan Pyramid", p. 16. ③ "Encyclopedia Britannica", Volume 8, page 90; "The Lost Kingdom", page 53. ④ "Mysteries of the Mexican Pyramids", p. 252. ⑤ "Encyclopedia Britannica", Volume 9, page 415. ⑥Edward's "Egyptian Pyramids", pages 87 and 219. 1. E． S Edwards, The Pryamids of Egypt, Penguin, London, 1949, pp. 87,219． ⑦ Readers can refer to Stocini's excerpt from Peter Tompkins's "The Secret of the Great Pyramid", pages 287-382. Stecchninis aPPendix to Peter TomPklns, Se crets of the Great, Pyramids, Harper & Row, New York, 1978, pp. 28782． ⑧See "Ancient Egypt Travel Guide", page 95. ⑨ "The Secret of the Great Pyramid", Strcini Appendix, 378 pages. ⑩ "Mystery of the Pyramid", pp. 188-193. ⑾ "Prehistoric America", p. 281.See also The Ancient Cities of Mexico, p. 178, and The Mystery of the Mexican Pyramids, p. 226-236.