The Andean tradition (Chavín, Nazca, Tiwanaku/Wari, and the Inca; c. 1000 BCE–1532 CE) — a
civilization without alphabetic writing but with sophisticated **horizon astronomy**, a
radial sacred geography (the Cusco *ceque* system), and a knotted-cord numeracy (the *quipu*).
Its "sacred mathematics" is expressed in the built solar observatory of Chankillo, the
sightline-webs of Cusco, and a decimal record-keeping system — geometry and number in the
landscape and the cord rather than on the page.
civilization without alphabetic writing but with sophisticated **horizon astronomy**, a
radial sacred geography (the Cusco *ceque* system), and a knotted-cord numeracy (the *quipu*).
Its "sacred mathematics" is expressed in the built solar observatory of Chankillo, the
sightline-webs of Cusco, and a decimal record-keeping system — geometry and number in the
landscape and the cord rather than on the page.
Three strands: (1) *Horizon astronomy* — Chankillo's thirteen towers form a solar calendar,
and Inca Cusco used horizon pillars to fix the solstices for the agricultural year. (2)
*Sacred geography* — the ceque system radiated ~41 sightlines (ceques) from the Coricancha
temple, organising ~328 shrines (huacas) in a scheme with calendrical readings. (3) *Number*
— the quipu encoded numbers (and more) in knotted, coloured cords, largely in base-10.
Era (prose)
c. 1000 BCE (Chankillo era)–1532 CE (Inca)
Region (prose)
the central Andes — Peru and Bolivia
Evidence
Label
Chankillo: a built solar-horizon calendar (→ site: Chankillo)
Body
The thirteen towers of Chankillo (c. 300 BCE) let observers read the date from the sun's
position along an artificial toothed horizon — the securely-demonstrated Andean observatory.
Citation
Ghezzi & Ruggles, *Science* 315 (2007): 1239–1243 — see site: Chankillo, number: 13.
Source tier
Label
The Cusco ceque system (radial sacred geography)
Body
From the Coricancha in Cusco, ~41 sightlines (ceques) radiated outward, organising ~328
shrines (huacas), with proposed calendrical/social readings.
Citation
R. Tom Zuidema, *The Ceque System of Cuzco* (Brill, 1964); Brian Bauer, *The Sacred
Landscape of the Inca* (1998).
Source tier
Curation status
Import key
aa82cb3fae4fc3779a6abaaa937ef1e163a0c5fd
Import hash
ae89a4159f42fbe5e302840f8cd31adfff935536