Anasazi Solar Marker: The Use of a Natural Rockfall

Abstract

The midday "sun dagger" solstice and equinox marker on Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, is formed by three sandstone slabs that collimate sunlight onto two spiral petroglyphs. The slabs appear to be the result of a natuiral rockfall and not a construct of the Chacoan Anasazi. Although neither the rockfall nor the petroglyphs can be dated accurately, it is likely that the petroglyphs were designed after the rockfall by people who observed the details of the light pattern for several annual cycles.

Landscapes of Origin: Geoparks and Pilgrimage

“…The Sun Dagger on Fajada Butte is in the southeastern gap of the primary canyon in Chaco, approximately one kilometer to the east of Chacra Mesa (Figure 17). The dagger is formed by three large sandstone slabs that collimate sunlight onto two spirals [44,45]. The slabs result from a natural rock fall, not human engineering.…”

“…The slabs result from a natural rock fall, not human engineering. While impossible to date the rock fall and peckings, it can be inferred that ancestral Native Americans carved the spirals after observing the light patterns for numerous annual cycles, thus using naturally occurring patterns and human made alternations to engineer a calendar [36,44].…”

Revising the "Conjunctive Approach" in the American Southwest

“…The academic debate concerning the significance and meaning of Anasazi cosmological markers is a good case study for the modem conjunctive approach because it shows how successful iconographic pursuits can be when they are given enough attention. The case of Fajada Butte and other cosmological markers sparked considerable interest in the 1980s and through constant critiques and arguments a large corpus of new hypotheses and discussions were amassed concerning the Anasazi (Newman et al 1982;Sofaer & Sinclair 1986;Sofaer & Sinclair 1987;Young 1986;Zeilik 1985;Zeilik 1986). Only with the thorough examination of sites such as Fajada Butte can iconography gain any credence in archaeology.…”

Timescapes in conflict: cumulative impacts on a solar calendar

“…From this and other sources it is possible to present a short list of similar places from Europe and elsewhere in the New World (Carlson and Judge, 1987;Eddy, 1974;Newman et al, 1982;Patrick, 1974;Ruggles, 2006).…”