The Chankillo solar observatory, located in the department of Áncash, is preparing to be recognized as the Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The archeological site is considered the oldest of its kind in America, placing its creation between 500 and 200 BC. In the coming months, he will be visited by specialists who will debate his candidacy at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee.
The importance of this observatory, in addition to the beauty and complexity of its archeology, is due to its use. The Chankillo monument is one of the few that marks the totality of an annual solar cycle through its 13 towers; taking into account solstices and equinoxes. In addition, like most pre-Inca cultures, it has a square and a temple dedicated to the Sun God. According to historians, it is believed that it also functioned as a defensive center since it simulates being a fortress, so it is believed that its main inhabitants were warriors and astronomers.
The application has been prepared since 2015, with the Specific Agreement of Interinstitutional Cooperation that involves the Ministry of Culture, the Provincial Municipality of Casma and the World Monuments Fund. These institutions have facilitated researchers from the Institute of Archeology Research (Idarq) and specialists from the Ministry of Culture. So far, Peru has 12 sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, which are natural, cultural and mixed. At the South American level, we are the country with the highest number of registered monuments, after Brazil.
The places that have achieved this recognition are:
- The city of Cuzco
- The historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu
- The Huascarán National Park
- The archaeological site of Chavín
- The archeological zone of Chan Chan
- The Manu National Park
- The Historic Center of Lima
- The Abiseo River National Park
- The Nazca lines and geoglyphs of the Pampas de Jumana
- The Historic Center of the City of Arequipa
- Caral