El Paraíso is an important archaeological site from the Late Archaic Period (3500-1800 BCE) located in the Chillón River Valley on the central coast of Peru.
Recent investigations have uncovered astronomical alignments in structures associated with this pre-Inca site, suggesting the presence of ancient astronomical and calendrical knowledge.
Researchers Robert Benfer, Ivan Šprajc, and others have meticulously studied the relationship between astronomy and architecture at El Paraíso.
They had previously found that two large mounds shaped like animal figures were oriented towards certain significant astronomical events.
In this new research, they focused on nine small platform mounds associated with the animal mounds. Using a geo-referenced map of the site, they measured possible astronomical alignments to the east and west of these structures.
They compared these alignments with calculations of azimuths for events such as solstices and major lunar standstills.
The results were surprising. Out of a total of 14 possible alignments studied, 13 fell within the 1-degree margin of error from the predicted astronomical values.
This cannot be attributed to chance, as the statistical probability of having so many “hits” is extremely low.
The alignments included several temples oriented towards the sunrise on the December solstice and the sunset on the June solstice, as well as four structures pointing to the southernmost lunar standstills. One of the mounds could mark the March equinox.
The researchers conclude that the precision of these alignments suggests that the construction of the mounds was guided by priest-astronomers.
The presence of a complex astronomical and calendrical system could have had religious and economic significance for the ancient populations of the Chillón Valley.
These findings add more evidence of the advanced astronomical knowledge of the cultures of the Preceramic Period on the Peruvian coast.
Sources
Ojeda B, Ocas Quispe A, Benfer RA. Astronomical Alignments from Structures Surrounding Giant Animal Effigy Mounds at El Paraiso, Peru. Latin American Antiquity. 2023:1-19. doi:10.1017/laq.2023.51
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