Ancient Astronomers

Ancient Astronomers (HM29GD)

Location: Nageezi, NM 87037 San Juan County
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Country: United States of America
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N 36° 1.706', W 107° 54.243'

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Inscription
Atop Fajada Butte Chacoan skywatchers commemorated the movement of the sun and the seasons. Sunlight passed between three boulder slabs onto a spiral petroglyph to mark the sun's position on the summer solstice, winter solstice, and the equinoxes.

The Chacoans had sophisticated knowledge of the sun and moon as shown in this and other sites. Sun watching continues to play an integral role in the Pueblo world. Pueblo people use such markers to plan their agriculture, to set the ceremonial calendar, to integrate the physical and spiritual worlds, and to seek balance and harmony for all people.

Our modern interest in this site may have forever impacted it. In 1989, researchers noticed that the light pattern on the spiral had shifted, due to the slight slipping of the slabs. This may have resulted from human-caused erosion to the base of the rocks.

Fajada Butte is closed to all access due to its fragile nature.
Details
HM NumberHM29GD
Tags
Placed ByNational Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, July 18th, 2018 at 10:01am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)13S E 238324 N 3991004
Decimal Degrees36.02843333, -107.90405000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 36° 1.706', W 107° 54.243'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds36° 1' 42.36" N, 107° 54' 14.58" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)505
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling East
Closest Postal AddressAt or near Service Rd, Nageezi NM 87037, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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