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patches’ caused by the slits would only have been visible for about a 2-month period
around the December solstice.
4 Discussion
4.1 ‘Site Axis’ and the Broadly Solstitial Site Alignment of All
the Principal Buildings at the Site
Other than the line of towers and the perimeter of the Fortified Temple defensive
walls, the orientations of buildings and other structures over a wide area generally
conform to an overall grid plan consistent to within ~6°. The orientations of the
principal rectangular buildings and walls at Chankillo are as follows:
• Temple of the Pillars. The outer walls have a WNW–ESE orientation of
119.0°/299.0° and a SSW–NNE orientation of 25.4°/205.4°. They therefore
deviate from perpendicularity by 3.6°;
• Observatory Building (OB). The outer walls have a WNW–ESE orientation of
121.7°/301.7° and a SSW–NNE orientation of 30.9°/210.9°. The walls therefore
deviate from perpendicularity by 0.8°. The corridor on the SSW side widens
towards the WOP at its eastern end and has a mean orientation of 121.1°/301.1°;
• Structure 5 adjacent to the Observatory Building (‘OB2’). The east, west and
north walls form three sides of a rectangle with an orientation of
30.8°/120.8°/210.8°/300.8°. However, the south wall deviates slightly from this,
with an orientation of 121.5°/301.5°;
• Outer enclosure walls. The SSW–NNE enclosure wall to the ESE of OB and
OB2, and the surviving parts of the adjacent enclosure walls, are oriented with
azimuths of 30.5°/210.5°, 121.9°/301.9°, and 121.5°/301.5° respectively;
• Administrative Centre. Measurements of the sides of the atrium yield a WNW–
ESE orientation of 115.6°/295.6° and a SSW–NNE orientation of 26.6°/206.6°
respectively; and,
• Large rectangular building centreed at (E804760/N8941400). The long wall on
the NNE side of this enclosure yields the most reliable orientation, 115.7°/295.7°,
while the shorter wall opposite yields 115.1°/295.1°. The west and east walls
yield 26.5°/206.5° and 25.3°/205.3° respectively.
A 650 m-long wall connected to several buildings in a further plaza to the east,
running from approximately 1.3–2.0 km to the ESE of the towers, has approximately the same orientation (114.3°/294.3°) and means that the overall grid plan
extends for well over 2 km.
A straight line drawn to connect the entrance to the Temple of the Pillars and the
single direct entrance to the Administrative Centre would pass through the centre of
the Observatory Building and also the gap between Towers 12 and 13, where the
southern end of the line of towers bends round until it is perpendicular to this axis.
I. Ghezzi
patches’ caused by the slits would only have been visible for about a 2-month period
around the December solstice.
4 Discussion
4.1 ‘Site Axis’ and the Broadly Solstitial Site Alignment of All
the Principal Buildings at the Site
Other than the line of towers and the perimeter of the Fortified Temple defensive
walls, the orientations of buildings and other structures over a wide area generally
conform to an overall grid plan consistent to within ~6°. The orientations of the
principal rectangular buildings and walls at Chankillo are as follows:
• Temple of the Pillars. The outer walls have a WNW–ESE orientation of
119.0°/299.0° and a SSW–NNE orientation of 25.4°/205.4°. They therefore
deviate from perpendicularity by 3.6°;
• Observatory Building (OB). The outer walls have a WNW–ESE orientation of
121.7°/301.7° and a SSW–NNE orientation of 30.9°/210.9°. The walls therefore
deviate from perpendicularity by 0.8°. The corridor on the SSW side widens
towards the WOP at its eastern end and has a mean orientation of 121.1°/301.1°;
• Structure 5 adjacent to the Observatory Building (‘OB2’). The east, west and
north walls form three sides of a rectangle with an orientation of
30.8°/120.8°/210.8°/300.8°. However, the south wall deviates slightly from this,
with an orientation of 121.5°/301.5°;
• Outer enclosure walls. The SSW–NNE enclosure wall to the ESE of OB and
OB2, and the surviving parts of the adjacent enclosure walls, are oriented with
azimuths of 30.5°/210.5°, 121.9°/301.9°, and 121.5°/301.5° respectively;
• Administrative Centre. Measurements of the sides of the atrium yield a WNW–
ESE orientation of 115.6°/295.6° and a SSW–NNE orientation of 26.6°/206.6°
respectively; and,
• Large rectangular building centreed at (E804760/N8941400). The long wall on
the NNE side of this enclosure yields the most reliable orientation, 115.7°/295.7°,
while the shorter wall opposite yields 115.1°/295.1°. The west and east walls
yield 26.5°/206.5° and 25.3°/205.3° respectively.
A 650 m-long wall connected to several buildings in a further plaza to the east,
running from approximately 1.3–2.0 km to the ESE of the towers, has approximately the same orientation (114.3°/294.3°) and means that the overall grid plan
extends for well over 2 km.
A straight line drawn to connect the entrance to the Temple of the Pillars and the
single direct entrance to the Administrative Centre would pass through the centre of
the Observatory Building and also the gap between Towers 12 and 13, where the
southern end of the line of towers bends round until it is perpendicular to this axis.
I. Ghezzi