Zenith-day Sunrise at the Nunnery Quadrangle

Some architectural solar alignments are more subtle. On the day that the Sun passes through the zenith in the ancient Maya city of Uxmal, there are many alignments. One simple, but lovely alignment occurs at sunrise in the courtyard of the Nunnery Quadrangle. It is a rectangular structure with a large interior courtyard. When viewed from one corner of the courtyard, the zenith-day sun rises across the diagonal of the quad from the opposite corner. (Photo by Bryan Mendez, UC Berkeley)