277
followed to within 3° throughout Chankillo, resulting in the broadly solstitial
alignment of all the principal buildings at the site.
3.1 Nature of the Data Underlying the Archaeoastronomical
Conclusions
The conclusions presented here are based on accurate measurements of actual locations, both on the site and in the natural landscape, and the orientations between
them, using a combination of data from Differential GPS surveys (2005, 2008) and
Total Station surveys (2011, 2017), georeferenced using terrestrial (CyArk, 2011)
and aerial (Paz, 2017) laser-scanning data.
3.2 Solar Observatory
3.2.1 Viewshed from WOP to the Thirteen Towers Together with Part
of Cerro Mucho Malo
The WOP and the configuration of the towers, as viewed from it, is the leading element that makes Chankillo unique and outstanding in a global context. It was an
open doorway offering an unimpeded view of the towers and their surroundings; a
scattering of votive offerings was excavated around it, indicating that this was a
place of considerable ritual importance. The SSW corridor of the Observatory
Building, along which the WOP was accessed, follows the orientation constraints of
the overall grid: it is oriented some 7° to the right of the right-hand side of Tower 13,
and consequently the artificial horizon of the towers would have remained hidden to
someone walking along the corridor until they came very close to the opening itself,
surely adding to the sense of veneration at this spot. As seen from here, the towers
themselves are well above the observer and dominate the eastern horizon. The
southern slopes of Cerro Mucho Malo, 3 km away, meet the much closer ridge on
which the towers are constructed just to the left of the northernmost tower, Tower 1.
The visual effect is to provide a ‘thirteenth gap’ of similar width to those between
each pair of adjacent towers down the line.
As the sun reached the southernmost limit of its annual passage, at the December
solstice, it would have been seen from here to rise directly up from the top of the
southernmost tower, Tower 13. At its northernmost limit, at the June solstice, it rose
from Cerro Mucho Malo to the left of the ‘thirteenth gap’ (Fig. 8a). The position of
sunrise progressed up and down the towers at intermediate dates, mostly appearing
for just 1 or 2 days in each gap and then for a period of ~10 days between them, but
slowing down closer to the solstices. This device permitted the time of year to be
accurately determined, not just on one date but throughout the seasonal year.
The Chankillo Solar Observatory and Ceremonial Centre: A Heritage for the World
followed to within 3° throughout Chankillo, resulting in the broadly solstitial
alignment of all the principal buildings at the site.
3.1 Nature of the Data Underlying the Archaeoastronomical
Conclusions
The conclusions presented here are based on accurate measurements of actual locations, both on the site and in the natural landscape, and the orientations between
them, using a combination of data from Differential GPS surveys (2005, 2008) and
Total Station surveys (2011, 2017), georeferenced using terrestrial (CyArk, 2011)
and aerial (Paz, 2017) laser-scanning data.
3.2 Solar Observatory
3.2.1 Viewshed from WOP to the Thirteen Towers Together with Part
of Cerro Mucho Malo
The WOP and the configuration of the towers, as viewed from it, is the leading element that makes Chankillo unique and outstanding in a global context. It was an
open doorway offering an unimpeded view of the towers and their surroundings; a
scattering of votive offerings was excavated around it, indicating that this was a
place of considerable ritual importance. The SSW corridor of the Observatory
Building, along which the WOP was accessed, follows the orientation constraints of
the overall grid: it is oriented some 7° to the right of the right-hand side of Tower 13,
and consequently the artificial horizon of the towers would have remained hidden to
someone walking along the corridor until they came very close to the opening itself,
surely adding to the sense of veneration at this spot. As seen from here, the towers
themselves are well above the observer and dominate the eastern horizon. The
southern slopes of Cerro Mucho Malo, 3 km away, meet the much closer ridge on
which the towers are constructed just to the left of the northernmost tower, Tower 1.
The visual effect is to provide a ‘thirteenth gap’ of similar width to those between
each pair of adjacent towers down the line.
As the sun reached the southernmost limit of its annual passage, at the December
solstice, it would have been seen from here to rise directly up from the top of the
southernmost tower, Tower 13. At its northernmost limit, at the June solstice, it rose
from Cerro Mucho Malo to the left of the ‘thirteenth gap’ (Fig. 8a). The position of
sunrise progressed up and down the towers at intermediate dates, mostly appearing
for just 1 or 2 days in each gap and then for a period of ~10 days between them, but
slowing down closer to the solstices. This device permitted the time of year to be
accurately determined, not just on one date but throughout the seasonal year.
The Chankillo Solar Observatory and Ceremonial Centre: A Heritage for the World