Casma
| Casma | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
| Nickname(s): Tierra del Eterno Sol (Land of the Eternal Sun) | |
  Casma | |
| Coordinates: 9°28′27″S 78°18′38″W / 9.47417°S 78.31056°W | |
| Country |
 Peru |
| Region | Ancash Region |
| Province | Casma Province |
| Elevation | 210 m (680 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 24,842 |
| Time zone | PET |
Casma is a city in the Ancash Region, Peru. It is located in the Casma Valley. Its surface has 1 204,85 km².
Its people venerate saint Santa Maria Magdalena and its day is celebrated on July 22.
Some of the largest prehistoric monuments around the world are situated in the Casma Valley and in the Sechín Valley. The pyramid, main square, and circular sunken courtyard complexes extend over one kilometer in length. In February 2008 archaeologists uncovered a ceremonial plaza which has been dated to 5,500 years ago, making it one of the oldest structures ever found in the Americas.
Sechin Bajo archaeological site
German and Peruvian archeologists work at the circular 5,500-year-old sunken ceremonial plaza, built of stones and adobe, part of the Sechin Bajo archaeological complex in Casma, Andes foothills, 330 kilometers (210 mi) northwest of Lima, Feb. 2008. The archeologists say the plaza is the oldest known monument in Peru.
Chankillo archaeological site
The Thirteen Towers of Chankillo (chanquillo) run north to south along a low ridge within a fourth-century BCE ceremonial complex in north coastal Peru. From evident observing points within the adjacent buildings to the west and east, they formed an artificial toothed horizon that spanned—almost exactly—the annual rising and setting arcs of the Sun. The Chankillo towers thus provide evidence of early solar horizon observations and of the existence of sophisticated Sun cults, preceding the Sun pillars of Incaic Cusco by almost two millennia.
Note: The Thirteen Towers of Chankillo and their connection to the rising and the setting arcs of the Sun has not been proven.
Sources
- El Comercio
- YAHOO! NEWS
Ghezzi, Ivan; and Clive Ruggles (2 March 2007). "Chankillo: A 2300-Year-Old Solar Observatory in Coastal Peru". Science (Washington, DC: AAAS) 315 (5816): pp. 1239–1243. doi:10.1126/science.1136415. ISSN 0036-8075. OCLC 110607624. PMID 17332405.
Coordinates: 9°28′27″S 78°18′38″W / 9.47417°S 78.31056°W