0034 - Pecos 2016 - Pecos Posters: The Moon, Shrines, and Chaco with Robert Weiner

“An Investigation into Possible Lunar Alignments of Prehistoric Shrine-Sites at Chaco Canyon” by Anna Sofaer, William Stone, and Robert Weiner The Solstice Project and Brown University There are more than enormous pueblos and beautiful artifacts at the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. There are also a number of C-shaped, circular, and cairn masonry structures situated on elevated positions near and throughout Chaco Canyon. These structures appear to have been intentionally interrelated on alignments to the major standstill moon. Since there are deposits of turquoise and other artifacts at these structures, it’s thought that they may be shrines. Consequently, the shrines suggest a level of lunar astronomical expression in Chaco culture through architectural alignments. *Please note: The poster session was absolutely packed, so the background noise on the recording is quite loud