Determinación de la orientación y cardinal del templo del sol mediante análisis geométrico y topográfico

Abstract

Topography is the science responsible for measuring, describing, and graphically representing the Earth's surface, playing a fundamental role in various fields of knowledge. Within applied topography, photogrammetry stands out as a technique that enables the extraction of metric information from photographs, allowing the generation of high-precision three-dimensional (3D) digital models. In the field of cultural heritage, photogrammetry is a key tool for the documentation, conservation, and analysis of archaeological and architectural structures, as it facilitates the creation of digital models that support preservation and detailed study. This research focuses on the Temple of the Sun in Sogamoso as a case study, an important structure for the Muisca civilization, whose current version corresponds to the reconstruction carried out by Eliécer Silva Celis, founder of the Archaeological Museum of Sogamoso, based on his archaeological investigations. The main objective of this study is to analyze the location and orientation of the temple using topographic and photogrammetric techniques in order to evaluate its possible relationship with the equinoxes, considering the significance of astronomical observation in the agricultural organization of the Muisca culture. This work contributes to the development of spatial studies supported by three-dimensional digital models applied to cultural heritage.