Atacama Desert Reveals More Ancient Secrets

AncientPages.com - Once again, the Atacama Desert in Chile delivers an archaeological surprise. The region has long been of interest to archaeologists, historians and now, also astronomers.

A team of researchers have discovered the desert is by no mean an empty void. In ancient times, the region was used for astronomical observations. Scientists have no confirmed that saywas, which are astronomic markers, aligned with relevant dates in the Inca calendar can be found in the Atacama Desert.

Why would our ancestors come to this unpopulated area, so far south, to construct these stone columns? Why was astronomy in these desert spaces was so important to the Incas?

These are ancient mysteries scientists are now trying to solve.

Saywas -Ancient Astronomical Inca Calendars Discovered In The Atacama Desert

A multidisciplinary team made up of archaeologists, historians, and documentalists from the Chilean Museum of Pre-Colombian Art, supported by ALMA astronomers and an Atacameño researcher (Jimena Cruz) have studies the saywas in the desert.

The results of their studies reveal that the Inca were able to identify and predict equinoxes, solstices and other astronomic events with help of the saywas.

According to the Alma Observatory, “in the early morning of March 21, 2017, in the town of Vaquillas, at 4,200 meters above sea level in the inner mountain range of the city of Taltal, a group of scientists, led by Cecilia Sanhueza, associate researcher for the Pre-Colombian museum, was able to verify firsthand the exact alignment of two central saywas with the sunrise point at the autumn equinox.

Later, at dawn on June 21, in the Ramaditas sector near the Loa river, the same team witnessed the winter solstice sunrise, perfectly aligned with two saywas measuring 1.20 meters high.”

Saywas were described by chroniclers in 16th and 17th-century documents, but it’s the first time these ancient stone structure have been found in the Atacama Desert, bordering the Inca Trail.

“Cusco was surrounded by columns which were used to measure time, create calendars, and predict equinoxes and solstices, as well as the planting and harvesting season. What was interesting was finding these astronomic saywas along the Inca Trail, outside the major cities in unpopulated areas with no other apparent movement,” Cecilia Sanhueza, the project’s lead historian said.

The ALMA observatory engaged in the project through its astronomers Sergio Martin and Juan Cortés, who were able to verify firsthand the incredible precision in the prediction of natural phenomena through supposedly primitive tools used by the Inca culture over 500 years ago.

“As an astronomer, it was very gratifying to see these true solar calendars known as saywas, because these show that Pre-Colombian communities placed as much, if not more, importance on the sky as we do today,” shares Juan Cortés. “And the most incredible thing is that these are not far from the current location of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), which reaffirms that this is and has been a key location for astronomic observation.”

As previously mentioned on Ancient Pages, the most famous saywa structure is the mysterious and sacred Intihuatana stone at Machu Picchu, but it’s fascinating to discover these astronomical markers in the middle of the desert.

The Controversial Atacama Skeleton

Over the year we have learned about several intriguing finds in the Atacama Desert. Mot famous and debated is the Atacama skeleton that was discovered in 2003 behind a church. It was so unusual that the discovery sparked international interest.

The six-inch humanoid seemed to have an alien-like head and many people speculated it was of extraterrestrial origin. Earlier this year, scientists from California have extracted DNA from the mummy’s bones and pieced together the real and tragic story of the individual, known as Ata.

Ancient Unknown Civilization May Have Lived In The Atacama Desert

It has also been debated whether the Atacama Desert was once home to an ancient, unknown civilization.

Researchers discovered evidence of ancient lakes in the desert. These ancient lakes were large enough to sustain small human populations.

The lakes' presence challenges the current understanding of the paths early settlers took to explore and settle South America.

The discovery is significant and interesting as presence of water in this region offers evidence that can rewrite South American history.

See also:

Mystery Of The Chinchorro Civilization And The World’s Oldest Mummies

30,000-Year-Old Hidden Writing Found At Sacsayhuamán Temple Could Re-Write History

Lake Titicaca Reveals More Ancient Underwater Secrets

Many archeologists believe South America's early settlers traveled from the west coast inland toward the Andean Mountains, avoiding the desert's dry center by walking along its wetter edges.

But the new findings suggest the Atacama's ancient lakes could have provided another path through the desert, and possibly even homes for South American settlers.

This research could also explain why scientists discovered intriguing graves of ancient unknown people in the Atacama Desert.

What more intriguing ancient discoveries are still awaiting us in the Atacama Desert? Only time can tell.

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