arXiv subjects

Alejandro Gangui

Publications and source records attributed to Alejandro Gangui.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The orientation of historic churches in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and its surroundings: preliminary results

We present preliminary results of the analysis of the precise spatial orientation of colonial Christian churches located in the city of Las Palmas, capital of the island of Gran Canaria (Spain), and its surroundings. Our sample consists of 27 churches, 15 of which belong to the city proper while the rest are situated within roughly 12 km away inland. Most of these churches were constructed between the first decades after the Castilian conquest of the island, and the end of the 19th century. In our analysis we examine whether these orientations respond to calendrical coincidences, to the main features of the landscape, or whether the standard tradition was followed regarding the orientation of the churches' apses eastwards. We find that no church in the sample is oriented towards points of the horizon on which the Sun rises on the day of the patronal feasts. Furthermore, we find no correlation between the global orientation pattern and the orography of the island which, near the local prominent Guiniguada ravine, could have been an important factor at the time of the construction of the churches. What we do find is that most of the orientations fit within the solar range, mainly to the east but also with a few historic churches oriented towards the west, while less than 20% have astronomical declinations outside of this range. In the statistical analysis, the declination histogram for the sample shows a pattern where the apses of the churches point consistently to the north of due east. This might signal constructions that were oriented to the rising Sun on dates close to Easter. We briefly discuss the implications these findings may have for a future study of the rest of Gran Canaria, which includes several dozens of historic churches scattered throughout the valleys, slopes, and volcanic calderas of the island.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2026

Intereses convergentes: los a\~nos previos a la visita de Einstein a la Argentina en 1925

We analyze in some detail the years leading up to Albert Einstein's visit to Argentina, from the moment he rose to fame after the publication of the results of the 1919 solar eclipse, until his arrival at the port of Buenos Aires in March 1925. We will see that this major event in the country's cultural life did not arise from a vacuum but was the product of diverse interests and unique international and local circumstances. The social and political situation surrounding the eminent scientist and the impetus provided by individuals and institutions in Buenos Aires played a decisive role, ultimately converging in the "successful" reception of this extraordinary figure in a country on the scientific periphery of the first quarter of the 20th century. We also review the written references and knowledge circulating in the local milieu on topics related to the theory of relativity in the years prior to his arrival in the country.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2026

Todos estos edificios se hacen de diverso modo que en Europa: Estudio arqueoastron\'omico de las iglesias jesu\'iticas de Chiquitos

The study of the spatial layout of Christian churches has been of great interest since late Antiquity and the beginning of the Early Middle Ages, and has received a new impetus in recent literature when it was recognized that the orientation of their main axes represents a key feature of their architecture. From the earliest Christian communities, the orientation of the church allowed the faithful to pray facing the east, towards the rising Sun. Several authors were careful to point this out in their writings; in particular, prior to the Council of Nicaea (325 AD), the Apostolic Constitutions indicated: "And let it be, first, the elongated building, with its head facing east". We present a detailed analysis of the spatial orientation of the historic churches located in the Jesuit towns of Chiquitania (Bolivia). We have measured in situ the main characteristics of eight churches currently standing and the ruins of a ninth construction. In all cases, we carry out a thorough survey of the landscape surrounding each church, trying to find some common pattern, possibly astronomical, that explains its orientations. To our list we also add the orientation measures of a tenth church based on work with plans and satellite maps. We complement our data with a detailed cultural and historical study of the characteristics of missionary towns. Unlike the churches of the Guarani towns of the historic province of Paraquaria where the meridian orientations stand out, in the case of the Jesuit churches of Chiquitos, half of the measured constructions show orientations that fall within the solar range, with three churches oriented equinoctially with high precision. We analyze the reasons for these orientations and delve further on the possible relevance that lighting effects could have had for the architects of these churches, which represent true hidden cathedrals in the virgin tropical forest.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2025

Comparing land- and skyscapes in the three main manorial-conquered lands of the Canary Islands

This work is a study of the relationship between astronomy and landscape focused on the orientation of Christian churches of the three main Manorial (Se\~nor\'io) Islands of the Canary archipelago (Spain): Lanzarote, La Gomera and Fuerteventura. As a background, we have the information provided by the texts of early Christian writers, which imposed that churches should be oriented towards the east [..]. The fieldwork that supports our comparative study is based on the measurement of the precise location coordinates, axis' azimuth and angular height of the horizon for most of the churches of the three islands, which amounts to about 120 sets of measurements. For the study of the sample, we have employed various analyses, both statistical, as well as calendric and orographic. Our results show that on all the islands, the pattern of double orientations is repeated, which contemplates the canonical tradition of orienting the altars of churches within the solar range (pointing either eastward or westward). Very few cases also occur where it is possible to identify constructions whose orientation follows solstitial patterns, perhaps as imitation of aboriginal worship. But this double pattern also includes a high proportion of churches with orientations far from this range. An example is Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, both islands subjected to the same flow of the prevailing trade winds in the region, but each with its own characteristics. Another example is given by the particular orography of deep ravines of La Gomera, which determines the orientation of the temples located in those geographical accidents. In this paper we show how the combination of elements of the land- and skyscape can, with a high degree of probability, offer a satisfactory explanation to the particular orientation of these insular centres of worship, which were built during the first decades after the European conquest.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2025

Intercultural perspective in teacher training: Astronomy as an entry point

With the aim of incorporating an intercultural perspective into Physics teacher training programs, we ask ourselves which current disciplinary contents could begin to be addressed from this perspective. We started out by exploring the current state of the field exclusively in relation to intercultural science education, focusing on direct relationships with Physics. We present here a synthesis of publications from the past five years that we have found so far. These publications were categorized based on their approach, whether related to theoretical dimensions or to the practical implementation. We develop the following categories: reflections on practical implementation, boundary objects, and practical implementation experiences. We find coincidences that allow us to identify the concept of the celestial sphere as the one that would facilitate the incorporation of an intercultural perspective into Physics teacher training programs.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2025

On the orientation of historic Christian churches of Fuerteventura: conciliating tradition, winds and topography

We present the results of an analysis of the precise spatial orientation of colonial Christian churches located in the Canary Island of Fuerteventura (Spain). Our sample consists of 48 churches, most built during the period between the Castilian conquest led by the Norman Jean de B\'ethencourt in the 15th century and the end of the 19th century. We examine whether the standard tradition was followed regarding the orientation of the apses of historic churches eastwards. While most of the religious constructions in the sample have their main axes oriented within the solar range, the statistical analysis also reveals the presence of two different groups of churches with different possible interpretations. For the first group, mainly composed of churches located in the central part of the island, an anomalous tendency to orientate them towards a declination of c. -14 degrees is detected. We provide some possible explanations for this, which include the date of a traditional Canarian celebration, an eventual imprint of topography, and the possibility of sunset orientations. Also, this particular value of declination is close to -16.3 degrees, the declination of Sirius during the 17th century. Therefore, we provide ethnographic data that might support an eventually controversial 'bright star' orientation. For the second group, meanwhile, we find a pattern of orientation where the apse of the churches points slightly to the north of due east. We propose this might signal constructions that were oriented to the rising Sun on dates close to Easter, one of the most important festivities of Christianity.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2024

Torres funerarias chullpa en el valle del r\'io Lauca: un primer an\'alisis arqueoastron\'omico

In this work we employ the methods of archaeoastronomy to analyze the orientation, possibly astronomical, of numerous groups of chullpa funerary towers, mainly from the 12th to 16th centuries, located in the Lauca River valley of the central Bolivian highlands. Despite their great historical relevance, both regarding the beliefs and funerary customs of the local populations and the characteristics of the landscape in the highlands, little is known about the relationship of these mortuary monuments with the sky. Several authors, from chroniclers of the colonial era to more modern explorers, indicate that the tomb towers of these regions are oriented in such a way that important parts of their structure (in general, the entrances of the chullpas) point towards the sunrise on the eastern horizon, in order to be imbued with the first rays of the Sun. However, the sunrise changes its location noticeably at different times of the year. Given the lack of written information or other forms of original documentation, in order to affirm the use of a systematic orientation, it is necessary to measure a statistically significant number of monuments. We present here the results of the analysis of the precise spatial orientation of the entrances of 80 towers measured in situ during field work in the Lauca River valley. We find that, except for a few, all the buildings have the openings' axes oriented towards the east and within the solar range, between the extreme azimuths of the annual movement of the Sun as it crosses the local horizon, with a notable concentration of entrances that point slightly towards the north of due east. Our work is the first systematic study of the orientations of the chullpa towers of the Lauca River and can provide crucial information to understand the evolution and scope of the chullpa phenomenon in the Bolivian highlands and in the entire surrounding region.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2024

Physics, scientific investigation and society in Argentina, 1930-1940

In this paper we continue our study of the scientific research carried out at the Institute of Physics of the National University of La Plata during the first half of the 20th century, and of the important role played by the physicist Ramon G. Loyarte. Based on his studies, alone or in collaboration with members of the Institute, towards the end of the 1920s Loyarte proposed the possible existence of a new quantum of rotational energy in the mercury atom. This idea raised criticism and generated a fierce scientific controversy that reached the national and international academic media. We analyse this controversy by studying the comments that appeared in international review journals. We also study Loyarte's activities in politics and science policy in Argentina in the 1930s and 1940s, where he was responsible for interesting political and scientific initiatives.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2024

Physics, scientific investigation and society in Argentina, 1920-1930

We analyse the scientific research carried out at the Institute of Physics of the National University of La Plata in the first half of the 20th century, and the cultural and social context in which they were immersed. We focus especially on the activities carried out by the Argentine physicist Ramon G. Loyarte, who was an emblematic personality in the scientific, educational, cultural and political world of Argentina in those years. We discuss his most important works in experimental physics and quantum mechanics, his activities in the management and promotion of science and the international impact of his scientific proposals, as well as the origin of the controversies unleashed by his most daring ideas. For the latter topics we employ a novel tool: we examine the comments on his work published in prestigious international scientific review journals, which help to understand Loyarte's findings in a more comprehensive and contemporary way.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2023

Archaeoastronomy and the orientation of churches in the Jesuit missions of north-western New Spain

We present an extensive archaeoastronomical study of the orientations of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Jesuit churches in the lands of the historic viceroyalty of New Spain. Our sample includes forty-one chapels and churches located mainly in present-day Mexico, which documentary sources indicate were built by the Society, and for which we measured the azimuths and heights of the horizon of their principal axes using satellite imagery and digital elevation models. Our results show that neither the orientation diagram nor the statistical analysis derived from the sample declination histogram can select a particular orientation pattern with an adequate level of confidence. We suggest some possible explanations for our results, discussing these North American churches within a broader cultural and geographical context that includes previous studies involving Jesuit mission churches in South America. Based on the analysis of the data presented here, we conclude that the orientation of Jesuit churches in the viceroyalty of New Spain most likely does not follow a well-defined prescription.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2023

The Institute of Physics of La Plata in the first post-war period: the qualified transmission of sciences to young people

In the first decade of the 20th century, the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, founded in 1905, created a modern and well-equipped Physics Institute. In this paper we study the impact that this initiative had on the modernisation of physics teaching at secondary and university level in Argentina. We focus on two of the most representative graduates of the Institute in those years, Ramon G. Loyarte and Enrique Loedel Palumbo, and analyse their most important pedagogical works and the public reception they received. These works are a sample of the contribution of the Institute of Physics to the raising of the level of national education in the field of physical sciences in the first half of the 20th century.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2023

La inserción de la Astronomía Cultural en la educación formal: fundamentos y propósitos

There are vast educational research works that highlight the serious difficulties that students present in learning astronomical subjects, as well as the prevalence of a traditional education distanced from the observational and experiential, thus accentuating the difficulties detected. We argue that progressive teaching with a topocentric and contextualized approach would favor the motivation of the students, the construction of a more real view of current science and a more active role in the learning process. Cultural Astronomy (CA) is an academic discipline that seeks to understand the multiple ways in which societies relate to celestial objects and phenomena. For this reason, we consider that it would be a powerful resource for teaching, since it provides tools for contextualization and allows working with sky experiences linked to "naked eye astronomy", which requires little or no instruments. It should be noted that CA involves aspects of archaeoastronomy, ethnoastronomy and the history of astronomy, thus offering multiple dimensions to take into account. The present work seeks to base the incorporation of CA studies for astronomy teaching in secondary and tertiary education.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2023

Nuevas estrategias de enseñanza: unidades didácticas basadas en temas de la Astronomía Cultural

One of the main difficulties that students have in learning astronomy topics is that they fail to relate theoretical information with what they experience in the world around them. The construction by students of a conceptual framework in accordance with the astronomical scientific model demands changes in the current teaching approach. Within this framework, Cultural Astronomy (CA) is a discipline that we can use to rethink new didactic strategies. This paper presents two contextualized proposals from CA. In the first one, the teaching of space and time concepts is approached through traditional examples of orientation by the stars and the use of the calendar, using the case of historical ocean navigation without advanced instruments already highlighted in ethnoastronomical studies. In the second, these concepts are worked on from a case study, this time archaeoastronomical: the monumental horizon calendar of the Chankillo archaeological site, and then continue with the local identification of horizon markers that allow students to build their own calendars. The aim is to illustrate ways of introducing CA elements in didactic units that have as one of their main objectives that the students manage to establish correspondences between constructions of the micro to the mega-space that surrounds them.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2022

Archaeoastronomical study on the north-central coast of Peru

The Caral civilization developed on the north-central coast of Peru and had an occupation period between 2870 and 1970 years BC. The first studies carried out in the field of archaeoastronomy showed evidence of possible astronomical orientations in some buildings of its capital city, the Ciudad Sagrada de Caral. However, methodological issues cast doubt on these conclusions. A recent study carried out a more general statistical analysis, which covered a total of 55 architectural structures distributed in ten urban settlements that were part of this civilization, thus managing to identify topographic and astronomical orientation patterns. Based on this evidence, we propose to carry out a new study focused on the capital city, with the objective of analyzing the orientation pattern of the city, placing emphasis on the analysis of the most important religious and administrative structures in order to determine their functionality and their possible links with relevant astronomical objects. The study will include field work to measure the various structures and the subsequent statistical analysis of the data, using declination histograms, density functions and probability tests.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2022

La orientación de las iglesias coloniales de Fuerteventura

We use standard tools of Archaeoastronomy to approach the study of orientations, possibly astronomical, of a group of colonial Christian churches. We present preliminary results of the analysis of the precise spatial orientation of nearly fifty chapels and churches of the Canary Island of Fuerteventura (Spain), most of them built from the period of the Norman conquest in the fifteenth century to the nineteenth century. Although some small chapels belonging to the manorial power of the island and other modern churches do not have a well-defined pattern of orientations, the vast majority of the religious constructions of the island (about 35 of the 48 analyzed) have their axis oriented within the solar range, between the extreme azimuths of the annual movement of the Sun when crossing the local horizon. Unlike what was found in other islands of the archipelago, these results suggest that the religious architecture of Fuerteventura faithfully follows the prescriptions contained in the texts of early Christian writers.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2022

La orientación de las iglesias jesuíticas en América: resultados preliminares

We study the Jesuit mission churches in America, which for almost two centuries were the most representative constructions in the process of Christian evangelisation on the continent until the expulsion of the Order in 1767. The main objective is to discern possible orientation patterns in the structures studied and to evaluate whether these orientations are related to the rising of the sun or other celestial bodies on the local horizon, as suggested by the texts of early Christian writers, which could provide important and novel information about their history and construction. Archaeoastronomical fieldwork has been carried out in the past in two large regions of South America: the historic provinces of Paraquaria and Chiquitanía (eastern present-day Bolivia). These data must now be interpreted within a broader cultural and geographical context. Thus, in order to obtain a more complete picture of religious architecture on the continent, it is necessary to analyse and compare the results with the orientation of Jesuit churches built in the 17th and 18th centuries in North America (viceroyalty of New Spain). We approached this project through the historical and cultural analysis of the former mission sites and by means of satellite imagery. In this paper we present some preliminary results we have reached.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2022

The orientation of Jesuit churches in the Chiquitos missions of eastern Bolivia

The Jesuit missions in South America were an important and unique advance in Christian evangelisation on the continent until the expulsion of the Order in 1767. Although the history and cultural aspects of these missions and their most iconic buildings have been extensively studied, the archaeoastronomy of the Guaraní peoples of the Province of Paraquaria (Province of Paraguay) has only been recently considered, with the existing studies focusing primarily on the orientation of their churches. The paper presented here, which is the first archaeoastronomical study of the Jesuit missions of Chiquitos in eastern Bolivia, is an attempt to continue and complement the previous archaeoastronomical studies of the region. The methodologies employed involved the analysis of the Jesuit churches that currently exist in this region, namely, the on-site measurements of the orientations of eight churches currently standing and the ruins of a ninth church of which only a free-standing bell tower and parts of the side walls remain preserved. The orientation measurements of a tenth church, which we were unable to visit, were determined via the use of satellite maps. The landscape surrounding these churches was then examined in detail and furthermore, a detailed cultural and historical study of the characteristics of the villages where the churches are located was carried out. Our results show that, unlike the churches of the Province of Paraquaria where meridian orientations in the north-south direction stand out, half of the studied churches have shown potential canonical orientations that seem to be aligned to solar phenomena, with three exhibiting precise equinoctial orientation. We propose reasons for these orientations, including the possible relevance of illumination effects on significant internal elements within the churches - effects that were generally sought in Baroque church architecture.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2021

The physicist Enrique Loedel Palumbo in the Montevideo-Buenos Aires-La Plata scientific corridor: 1920-1930

In this paper we consider Montevideo's liberal progressive atmosphere towards the end of the nineteenth century and, within it, the trajectory of young science student Enrique Loedel Palumbo. We discuss some of his activities in Argentina, where he moved to study Physics at a new and well-equipped Physics Institute at the National University of La Plata, where he would later become a leading figure. Initially Loedel Palumbo worked on the structure of complex molecules based on their magnetic, electric and optical properties. Later, when Einstein visited Argentina in 1925, he had chance to exchange ideas, which led to the publication of the first of a series of papers on the Theory of Relativity in some of Germany's leading scientific journals. Loedel Palumbo integrated fully with the intellectual life of his adopted country, becoming one of Argentina's top physicists and philosophers of science of his day. He is a valuable example of the deep intertwining of the intellectual life of Uruguay and Argentina in the first-half of the twentieth century. Like his Argentine colleagues, he also experienced the consequences of living through a complex historical period.

physics.hist-ph↗