THE CHANKILLO SOLAR OBSERVATORY: A WORLD HERITAGE CANDIDATE IN PERU

Iván Ghezzi, PhD, Director of the Chankillo Program, Lima, Peru

The January 2021 meeting will be held virtually using the Zoom platform. To register, click here. You will receive an electronic confirmation within 24 hours and a reminder notification the day prior to the event. This event is free to Society members; others are asked either to make a modest donation or join the Society when they register.

Chankillo is a 2300-year-old ceremonial center on the coast of Peru. It contains one of the most comprehensive and precise astronomical observatories in the ancient world, and the earliest known in the Americas. In this talk, Dr. Ghezzi will share a description of how the Solar Observatory worked; present a discussion of its history and antecedents; offer a comparison of Chankillo to other archaeoastronomical sites around the globe; and explain the reasons it is being considered as a World Heritage Site.

Iván Ghezzi, PhD (Yale University), Director of the Chankillo Program, in Lima, Peru, is a Fellow in the Management of Cultural Institutions, University of Maryland. He is the former Director of the National Museum, Peru, where he oversaw a recovery that led to the opening and renovation of exhibits, which led to notable increases in visitor attendance. His scientific interests include the study of ancient complex societies, prehistoric warfare, ancient architecture, cultural astronomy, and dating methods. Dr. Ghezzi has published in major journals, such as, Science and his work has been reported by New York Times, The Economist, BBC, CNN, and others. Dr. Ghezzi is a Research Associate at the French Institute for Andean Studies and the Center for Field Research. Currently, he directs several projects, notably the one to revitalize and prepare the Chankillo Solar Observatory for tourism and promote its consideration as a World Heritage site.