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The pillared galleries at the back of the atrium faced the eastern horizon,
unblocked by intervening walls: the low retaining wall at the front of the platform
only stood to a height of ~0.3 m below the bottoms of the slits (Ghezzi, 2016), and
the surrounding defensive walls drop away in the easterly direction. In Room 3 there
was, in addition to a similar low platform-retaining wall, an eastern wall across the
patio from the pillars. The calculations suggest with confidence that the top of this
wall would have been no less than 0.2 m below the bottoms of the slits on the pillars.
All these pillars would have been able to catch the early morning sunlight; thus, a
slowly changing pattern of sunlight beams shining through and between the pillars
would have created a spectacular display on the dark back walls of both the long
gallery of the atrium and the Room 3 gallery.
Archaeoastronomical analysis supports the suggestion that the pillars were
designed for the projection of spectacular lights and shadows, orchestrated to cover
the whole year, accurately marking the solstices and equinoxes, and offering another
type of calendar indicator at Chankillo. These solar hierophanies would have been
observed by very few. Thus, these light-shadow casting devices offer insight into the
social differences between the elite audiences at the very secluded Temple of the
Pillars and Observatory Building and the more public EOP and Plaza solar
alignments and corresponding ceremonies at Chankillo. Unfortunately, the
spectacular effects at the Temple of the Pillars are no longer visible, both because
the temple space is no longer enclosed and because most of the pillars with their
slits have been destroyed.
2.3 Cerro Mucho Malo
Cerro Mucho Malo is a rocky massif (1180 masl in height) which forms part of the
foothills of the western chain of the Andes Mountains on the Peruvian coast. Its
exposed bedrock belongs to the Lower Cretaceous period. During the millions of
years that have since elapsed there was substantial elevation of tectonic plates, fluvial and pluvial erosion in the area. There were also considerable fluctuations in the
course and size of the river. But Cerro Mucho Malo is composed mainly of andesite
rock, which is much harder than the surrounding tonalite rock that characterizes the
Chankillo area, so the differential erosion explains why Cerro Mucho Malo is much
higher in elevation, and why at this point the Casma River surrounds it.
The horizon to the east and southeast—viewed from the Temple of the Pillars—
is low and distant, ideal for astronomical purposes, as it covers most of the solar
rising arc. Cerro Mucho Malo forms a nearby, high horizon to the ENE (Ghezzi &
Guadalupe, 2013); it can be seen forming the horizon at the point of June solstice
sunrise. For this reason, its southern slope was used as a natural marker: as viewed
from the WOP, its intersection with the artificial profile of the Thirteen Towers
forms a continuous astronomical horizon that coincides with the range of sunrise
positions throughout the solar year, with the intersection itself marking the position
of the June solstice.
The Chankillo Solar Observatory and Ceremonial Centre: A Heritage for the World
The pillared galleries at the back of the atrium faced the eastern horizon,
unblocked by intervening walls: the low retaining wall at the front of the platform
only stood to a height of ~0.3 m below the bottoms of the slits (Ghezzi, 2016), and
the surrounding defensive walls drop away in the easterly direction. In Room 3 there
was, in addition to a similar low platform-retaining wall, an eastern wall across the
patio from the pillars. The calculations suggest with confidence that the top of this
wall would have been no less than 0.2 m below the bottoms of the slits on the pillars.
All these pillars would have been able to catch the early morning sunlight; thus, a
slowly changing pattern of sunlight beams shining through and between the pillars
would have created a spectacular display on the dark back walls of both the long
gallery of the atrium and the Room 3 gallery.
Archaeoastronomical analysis supports the suggestion that the pillars were
designed for the projection of spectacular lights and shadows, orchestrated to cover
the whole year, accurately marking the solstices and equinoxes, and offering another
type of calendar indicator at Chankillo. These solar hierophanies would have been
observed by very few. Thus, these light-shadow casting devices offer insight into the
social differences between the elite audiences at the very secluded Temple of the
Pillars and Observatory Building and the more public EOP and Plaza solar
alignments and corresponding ceremonies at Chankillo. Unfortunately, the
spectacular effects at the Temple of the Pillars are no longer visible, both because
the temple space is no longer enclosed and because most of the pillars with their
slits have been destroyed.
2.3 Cerro Mucho Malo
Cerro Mucho Malo is a rocky massif (1180 masl in height) which forms part of the
foothills of the western chain of the Andes Mountains on the Peruvian coast. Its
exposed bedrock belongs to the Lower Cretaceous period. During the millions of
years that have since elapsed there was substantial elevation of tectonic plates, fluvial and pluvial erosion in the area. There were also considerable fluctuations in the
course and size of the river. But Cerro Mucho Malo is composed mainly of andesite
rock, which is much harder than the surrounding tonalite rock that characterizes the
Chankillo area, so the differential erosion explains why Cerro Mucho Malo is much
higher in elevation, and why at this point the Casma River surrounds it.
The horizon to the east and southeast—viewed from the Temple of the Pillars—
is low and distant, ideal for astronomical purposes, as it covers most of the solar
rising arc. Cerro Mucho Malo forms a nearby, high horizon to the ENE (Ghezzi &
Guadalupe, 2013); it can be seen forming the horizon at the point of June solstice
sunrise. For this reason, its southern slope was used as a natural marker: as viewed
from the WOP, its intersection with the artificial profile of the Thirteen Towers
forms a continuous astronomical horizon that coincides with the range of sunrise
positions throughout the solar year, with the intersection itself marking the position
of the June solstice.
The Chankillo Solar Observatory and Ceremonial Centre: A Heritage for the World