These structures were used to predict astronomical events.
On the driest desert in the world, the Atacama in Chile, a group of scientists discovered several “saywas” or calendars of stone, structures that the Incas used to identify and predict astronomical events.
The Andina News Agency informed that between March and June of last year, four saywas were discovered at about 4,200 high in this desert by scientists from the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art and astronomers from the ALMA observatory. They consisted of stone constructions of approximately 1.2 meters high.
According to information from Andina, the scientists verified that these constructions were perfectly aligned with the point of sunrise at the autumn equinox and on the winter solstice.
“Through the shadow that they project on the ground during the sunrise, the saywas allow us to identify and predict equinoxes, solstices and other astronomical events,” said a statement from ALMA to Andina.
It is believed that Cuzco, the capital of the Ancient Inca Empire was once surrounded by these saywas, that, besides predicting astronomical events, they measured time and were used at the time of planting and harvesting.
“These structures were found thanks to satellite images that were observed by the historian Cecilia Sanhueza, a member of the team, during an investigation carried out on the Inca Trail.”, you can read in Andina.
Scientists are now investigating why the saywas have been found so far away from populated places, like the Atacama desert.
(Source)
(Cover Photo Twitter)
Don’t Miss:
https://www.livinginperu.com/bone-ancient-peru-offers-glimpse-great-chavin-civilization/
https://www.livinginperu.com/500-indigenous-artifacts-return-peru/
