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The fact that the equinox sun rose in a narrow gap (between Towers 6 and 7) supports the idea that the tower profile was a constructed reflection and elaboration of
earlier observations using the natural horizon. This unique and remarkable example
of a monumental solar horizon calendar is entirely practical in nature. Even though
the interval of time between the sun’s appearance in successive gaps is ~10 days in
most cases, this time interval increases towards the solstices, and there is no evidence to suggest that specific divisions of time were being deliberately marked or
were conceived as important. In particular, there is no evidence to suggest that either
the dates of ‘zenith sunrise’ (sunrise on the days when the sun will reach the zenith
at noon, which occur when the declination of the sun is equal to the latitude of the
site, i.e. –9.55°) or those of ‘antizenith sunrise’ (sunrise on the days when it reached
the nadir at midnight, which occurs when the declination of the sun is equal to the
minus the latitude of the site, i.e. +9.55°) were of any particular cultural significance
at Chankillo, although they are thought to have been significant during much later
Inca times (Zuidema, 2014: 857–858).
3.2.2 Viewshed from the EOP to the Thirteen Towers
There is only one small area on the site from which the Thirteen Towers on the skyline
to the west span the sunset arc. It coincides with the location of an isolated small
building. The June solstice sun would have been seen from here to set into the top of
the northernmost tower, Tower 1, just as from the WOP the December solstice sun
rose from the centre of the southernmost tower, Tower 13 —thus following principles
of symmetry evident elsewhere on the site. These facts strongly support the idea that
this was indeed a viewing point for the setting sun against the towers, even though it
is less well attested archaeologically due to poor conservation.
The line of towers towards the south bends away from an observer at the EOP
and disappears over the hill, unlike the situation at the WOP where the southernmost
towers bend round to face the observer. As a result, there are no visible gaps between
the southernmost four towers, and Tower 13 would not have been visible at all: thus,
while the December solstice sun set in the direction of this tower, the leftmost limit
of the solar arc did in fact occur over natural terrain rather than a tower, in common
with the eastern profile from the WOP, and arguably manifesting another symmetry
between the western and eastern profiles.
3.2.3 Viewshed from Temple of the Pillars’ Entrance to the Distant
Mountainous Horizon Profile to the East
Regarding the principal ‘stations of the sun’:
• June solstice sunrise occurred over Cerro Mucho Malo close to, but not quite at,
a slight dip at 65.4° azimuth; the solstitial sunrise occurred at little to the left, at
a distance of 6.38 km and +64.3° to +64.8° azimuth. The declination of the dip
The Chankillo Solar Observatory and Ceremonial Centre: A Heritage for the World
The fact that the equinox sun rose in a narrow gap (between Towers 6 and 7) supports the idea that the tower profile was a constructed reflection and elaboration of
earlier observations using the natural horizon. This unique and remarkable example
of a monumental solar horizon calendar is entirely practical in nature. Even though
the interval of time between the sun’s appearance in successive gaps is ~10 days in
most cases, this time interval increases towards the solstices, and there is no evidence to suggest that specific divisions of time were being deliberately marked or
were conceived as important. In particular, there is no evidence to suggest that either
the dates of ‘zenith sunrise’ (sunrise on the days when the sun will reach the zenith
at noon, which occur when the declination of the sun is equal to the latitude of the
site, i.e. –9.55°) or those of ‘antizenith sunrise’ (sunrise on the days when it reached
the nadir at midnight, which occurs when the declination of the sun is equal to the
minus the latitude of the site, i.e. +9.55°) were of any particular cultural significance
at Chankillo, although they are thought to have been significant during much later
Inca times (Zuidema, 2014: 857–858).
3.2.2 Viewshed from the EOP to the Thirteen Towers
There is only one small area on the site from which the Thirteen Towers on the skyline
to the west span the sunset arc. It coincides with the location of an isolated small
building. The June solstice sun would have been seen from here to set into the top of
the northernmost tower, Tower 1, just as from the WOP the December solstice sun
rose from the centre of the southernmost tower, Tower 13 —thus following principles
of symmetry evident elsewhere on the site. These facts strongly support the idea that
this was indeed a viewing point for the setting sun against the towers, even though it
is less well attested archaeologically due to poor conservation.
The line of towers towards the south bends away from an observer at the EOP
and disappears over the hill, unlike the situation at the WOP where the southernmost
towers bend round to face the observer. As a result, there are no visible gaps between
the southernmost four towers, and Tower 13 would not have been visible at all: thus,
while the December solstice sun set in the direction of this tower, the leftmost limit
of the solar arc did in fact occur over natural terrain rather than a tower, in common
with the eastern profile from the WOP, and arguably manifesting another symmetry
between the western and eastern profiles.
3.2.3 Viewshed from Temple of the Pillars’ Entrance to the Distant
Mountainous Horizon Profile to the East
Regarding the principal ‘stations of the sun’:
• June solstice sunrise occurred over Cerro Mucho Malo close to, but not quite at,
a slight dip at 65.4° azimuth; the solstitial sunrise occurred at little to the left, at
a distance of 6.38 km and +64.3° to +64.8° azimuth. The declination of the dip
The Chankillo Solar Observatory and Ceremonial Centre: A Heritage for the World