The oldest solar observatory in the Americas has been awarded Unesco world heritage status and dubbed “a masterpiece of human creative genius”. Thirteen towers that align on a ridge are the best-known feature of the ancient site which dates between 250 and 200 BCE. “It is the only observatory from the ancient world that we know of that is a complete annual solar calendar,” said Ghezzi, an archeologist who has studied and worked on the site for two decades. Chankillo is the third Peruvian site to be added to the Unesco world heritage list this century. The status was awarded to Qhapaq Ñan, a vast Inca road system in 2014, and to Caral, the oldest city in the Americas, in 2009.

Source: The Guardian July 28, 2021 01:30 UTC