Central And Mesomerian Skies: More Than 4000 Years Of Astronomy
TalkTeaching about indigenous astronomy
3rd Shaw-IAU Workshop
Wednesday Oct. 13, 2021
UTC: 4:10 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. America/Chicago: 11:10 a.m.- 11:30 a.m.
Thursday Oct. 14, 2021
UTC: 6:40 a.m. - 7 a.m. America/Chicago: 1:40 a.m.- 2 a.m.
The archaeological record of the Meso and Central American peoples allows us to recognize, without a doubt, a methodical and continuous knowledge of the celestial space. Beyond this, indigenous peoples have perpetuated and are custodians of that knowledge in its most varied cultural expressions. This valuable astronomical knowledge brought to the classroom not only allows us to expand our knowledge of the universe and the human being, but also allows us to educate in a transversal way using ancestral astronomical knowledge to deconstruct ethnocentric discourses that support epistemological hegemonies, bringing the student closer to an explanation of the complex reality of our world.
About Javier Mejuto
Javier Mejuto is Professor at the Space Sciences Faculty at the National Autonomous University of Honduras, where he holds the position of Head of the Department of Archaeoastronomy and Cultural Astronomy and Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. He is President of the National Astronomy Commission (Honduras) of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and Co-Chair of the Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture Working Group of the same institution. International member of ICOMOS, he leads the Central American and Caribbean Initiative for Astronomical Heritage.
Watch a recording of this talk (external link)