Lunar Standstill Markers At Preceramic Temples At The Buena Vista Site In Peru

The Buena Vista, Peru stepped-platform pyramid complex, recently shown to be oriented with the December solstice, also contains markers which identify lunar standstill seasons. Both of the two principle observing centers in the complex, the Temple of the Fox and the Temple of the Menacing Disk, are aligned with horizon markers which identify the onset of major standstill seasons. The markers consist of worked rocks and natural platforms. This apparent interest in lunar standstill phenomena is consistent with the ethnographic, ethonistoric, and archaeological findings in other areas of the Americas including Andean Peru and the Mayan areas of Mesoamerica.