Ancient Peruvian Observatory

Chankillo is an ancient monumental complex about ten miles inland in the Peruvian coastal desert, found in the southern Casma River Drainage complexes of the Casma-Sechin Oasis in the Ancash Department of Peru, and the perfect place for an ancient observatory.

The ruins include the hilltop Chankillo fort, the nearby Thirteen Towers solar observatory, and residential and gathering areas. The Thirteen Towers are obviously situated as a solar observatory built in the 4th century B.C. The entire site covers about one-and-a-half square miles and is believed to be a fortified temple.

The Thirteen Towers of Chankillo run north to south along a ridge of a low hill and are regularly spaced, forming a "toothed" horizon with narrow gaps at regular intervals. To the east and west investigators found two observation points. From these vantages, the 1,000-foot-long spread of the towers along the horizon corresponds very closely to the rising and setting positions of the Sun through the year. This obviously infers that some activities of the ancient Peruvian civilization may have been regulated by a solar calendar.