[Aztlan] Oldest Solar Calendar in the Americas Uncovered

[michael ruggeri]

Pictures Here; http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/527606/#imagetop

Released: Mon 26-Feb-2007, 00:00 ET
Embargo expired: Thu 01-Mar-2007, 14:00 ET

Archaeologists Reveal Ancient Solar Observatory in Peru

Description

The 13 Towers of Chankillo are the most outstanding part of a 2300- 
year-old ceremonial complex excavated by Earthwatch teams in the  
coastal desert of Peru. A paper in Science by former Earthwatch- 
supported archaeologist Ivan Ghezzi (Pontificia Universidad Catolica  
del Peru) and Clive Ruggles (University of Leicester) reveals that  
the towers mark the existence of sun cults predating the Inca by  
nearly two millennia.
Newswise — Solar calendars and sun cults were an important part of  
indigenous American culture, from the Hopi to the Inca sun temple in  
Cusco, Peru. The latest issue of Science features a new discovery at  
Chankillo, in the Casma Valley of Peru’s coastal desert, pushing sun  
cults in the region back nearly 2,000 years.A line of structures  
known as the 13 towers run north-south along the ridge of a low hill  
at Chankillo, a ceremonial center dating back to the fourth century  
B.C. From evident observation points on either side, the towers form  
a “toothed” horizon that spans the annual rising and setting arcs of  
the sun, indicating their use in solar observations.

“Chankillo is arguably the oldest solar calendar that can be  
identified as such with confidence within the Americas,” said Ivan  
Ghezzi (Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru), who coauthored the  
Science paper with Clive Ruggles (University of Leicester).

Starting in 2000, Earthwatch volunteer teams assisted Ghezzi at  
Chankillo for three years, conducting excavations that supported this  
new revelation about the site’s importance in ancient sun cults. They  
assisted in mapping the 13 towers, recording their alignments, and  
excavating the “solar observatory” to the west. Earthwatch volunteers  
also took tree ring samples from well-preserved wooden lintels that  
helped date the site.

“Many indigenous American sites have been found to contain one or a  
few putative solar orientations,” continued Ghezzi. “Chankillo, in  
contrast, provides a complete set of horizon markers and two unique  
and indisputable observation points.”

Excavation of ancient buildings to the west of the towers revealed  
one corridor that was clearly an observation point for watching the  
sun rise over the toothed horizon. The end of the corridor was  
littered with offerings of pottery, shell, and stone artifacts not  
found elsewhere nearby, indicating significant rituals associated  
with solar observations. A building to the east is in the exact  
mirror position of the western observation point, and is lined up to  
view the sunsets over the 13 towers.

The gaps between the towers are wide enough for just one or two  
sunrises to be observed in each. The regularity of the gaps suggests  
that the year was divided into regular intervals.

Plazas near the 13 towers apparently provided a setting for people  
participating in public rituals and feasts directly linked to solar  
observations. However, the observation points themselves appear to  
have been highly restricted to individuals with special status. This,  
along with ceramic warrior figurines found at the site, suggest the  
authority of an elite few. As with the Inca empire, two millennia  
later, sun worship and cosmology may have helped legitimize that  
authority.

“Chankillo was built approximately 1700 years before the Incas began  
their expansion,” said Ghezzi. “Although there is obviously no direct  
culture-historical relationship between the 13 Towers of Chankillo  
and the sun pillars of Cuzco, they are analogous as horizon markers  
for calendrical purposes. Now we know these practices are quite a bit  
older, and were highly developed by Chankillo’s time.”

Earthwatch Institute is a global volunteer organization that supports  
scientific research by offering members of the public unique  
opportunities to work alongside leading field scientists and  
researchers. Founded in 1971, Earthwatch’s mission is to engage  
people worldwide in scientific field research and education to  
promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable  
environment. Please include the web site for Earthwatch Institute  
(http://www.earthwatch.org) in any story based on this release so  
that your readers can find out how to join scientific expeditions.

This research will appear in the 2 March, 2007, issue of the journal  
Science, published by the AAAS, the world's largest general  
scientific organization. See http://www.sciencemag.org, and also  
http://www.aaas.org.

To learn about a current Earthwatch project exploring Pre-Inca Peru,  
Archaeology of Peru’s Wari Empire, go to http://www.earthwatch.org/ 
expeditions/glowacki.html. For a related news release go to http:// 
www.newswise.com/articles/view/526767/




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