There stands Chankillo, a complex built around 250 B.C.E., considered the earliest known solar observatory in the Americas and the clearest known example of a monument designed to track the sun’s position throughout the entire year, according to a study in Science. “Its placement in a restricted-access area of the observatory points to the existence of elites who combined astronomical knowledge with military leadership, reinforcing the political and ritual role of the Fortified Temple,” the archaeologist explains. And so, as Chankillo’s walls continue to mark the passage of the sun and the moon, the earliest-known observatory in the Americas prepares to become, once again, what it was from the very beginning: a place where the sky and human life were understood as the same.
Author: María de los Ángeles Orfila
Published at: 2026-01-19 22:00:00
Still want to read the full version? Full article
