Experts Uncovered A Giant 2,300-Year-Old Structure In The Desert — And It’s Causing Quite A Stir
Thirteen striking stone towers. Two observation platforms. One temple with a mysterious purpose. And defensive walls to ward off unwanted guests… The archaeological site at Chankillo in Peru baffled experts for more than a hundred years. Their first thought was that the awe-inspiring complex was a place for cult rituals. But when researchers finally uncovered the truth, they realized they couldn’t have been more wrong.
As old as time
It’s even more mind-blowing when you consider that the Chankillo complex was constructed roughly 2,300 years ago. And the incredible stone towers have been visible to modern-day people since at least the 19th century. Yet it took a 21st-century study to finally figure out their actual purpose.
Research in ruins
“It seems extraordinary that nobody really recognized [the towers] for what they were for so long,” Professor Clive Ruggles from the University of Leicester told the BBC in 2007. The timespan is particularly intriguing considering just how impressive the site is. “I was gobsmacked when I saw them for the first time,” admitted Professor Ruggles. And he wouldn’t have been alone.
Towering achievement
The Chankillo complex is found in the desert of the Casma Valley on the coast of Peru. To give you a sense of its extraordinary size, it occupies a massive 1.5 square miles of land — that’s about 726 football fields. And its 13 towers which have proven so perplexing are of considerable bulk too.
13 Towers
The structures are placed on the crest of a small hill in Chankillo. They are all rectangular and stand between 6 and 20 feet tall. And even though they’re thousands of years old, the towers are still in pretty good shape. But it’s the way the structures are arranged and accessed that makes them so interesting.
