Chankillo Archaeoastronomical Complex

Chankillo

Peru · Áncash

Temple / ritual siteIntermittent excavationUNESCO · 2021
Approximate period250 BCE — 200 BCEPre-Inca; monumental phase specified by UNESCO See on the map ↓

In brief

Chankillo is a ceremonial center arranged to track the sun's movements throughout the year. Observation points identified through excavations and the Thirteen Towers show that sunrise and sunset were tracked for calendrical purposes.

What was found?

  • 1Thirteen Towers

    13 towers extending along a hill ridge form an artificial horizon for tracking the sun's positions throughout the year. UNESCO describes this system as a calendar instrument capable of determining dates throughout the year.

  • 2Eastern and western observation points

    Observation positions on either side of the row of towers. They make it possible to track the relationship between sunrise and sunset positions and the towers.

  • 3Fortified Temple with three walls

    A hilltop building complex protected by three surrounding walls. Together with the observation arrangement and other structures, it forms part of the monumental ceremonial center.

What does it point to?

The complex, dated by UNESCO to 250–200 BC, shows that the solar cycle was tracked using architectural and natural landscape markers. According to researchers, these observations regulated the social and ceremonial calendar and also supported the authority of rulers associated with the sun.

What did it teach us?

  1. Showed that a monumental arrangement tracking the entire solar year was established in the Andean region long before the Incas.
  2. Revealed that the towers formed a calendar system working together with specific observation points.
  3. Provided concrete evidence for investigating the relationship between timekeeping, ceremonies, and political authority.

Record

Culture
Pre-Inca communities of the Casma Valley
Team / historical
Chankillo Archaeological Project; Iván Ghezzi
Coordinates
-9.5550°, -78.2369°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. gob.pe
  3. whc.unesco.org

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