Chase Lambert - Anasazi Sun Dagger

Anasazi Sun Dagger

• Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
• The 2-3 meter sandstone slabs, at Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon, cast shadows of the late morning and midday sun to indicate both solstices and equinoxes.
• Built by Pueblo Indians knowo as Anasazi
• The Anasazi observed and marked the seasonal solstices and equinoxes and may have used them to regulate their agricultural and ceremonial calendars.
• They lie behind three massive slabs of rock leaning against a cliff face. At noon on the summer solstice, a ''dagger'' of light appears and moves through the center of the large spiral. It is formed by a gap in the rocks. Another noontime light moves through the small spiral's center at the spring and fall equinoxes.