Chanquillo

Chankillo is an ancient monumental complex in the Peruvian coastal desert, found in the Casma-Sechin basin in the Áncash Department of Peru [1]. The ruins include the hilltop Chankillo fort, the nearby Thirteen Towers solar observatory, and residential and gathering areas [1]. The Thirteen Towers have been interpreted as an astronomical observatory built in the third century BC [1]. The culture that produced Chankillo is called the Casma/Sechin culture or the Sechin Complex [1]. The site covers about four square kilometres and has been interpreted as a fortified temple [1]. The regularly-spaced thirteen towers of Chankillo were constructed atop the ridge of a low hill running near north to south, forming a "toothed" horizon with narrow gaps at regular intervals [1]. The Thirteen Towers of Chankillo could be the earliest known observatory in the Americas [1].