#18: Temples Aligned with Solstices and Stars
Stonehenge marks the summer solstice with the Sun rising directly above the Heel Stone, an ancient monument that may have been a burial ground, observatory, or linked to supernatural beliefs. Machu Picchu’s Intihuatana stone is aligned so that at noon on the equinoxes, the Sun’s shadow disappears, perfectly marking the seasonal transitions. At Chichen Itza, the play of sunlight on the pyramid during the spring equinox creates a shadow that resembles a serpent, symbolizing the “return of the Sun serpent” in Mayan culture.
