Sinagua sunwatchers : an archaeoastronomy survey of the Sacred Mountain Basin

This study describes the recently discovered solar markings employing the midday sun at the V-V (pronounced V-Bar-V) Heritage Site near Sedona, Arizona. The Southern Sinagua created the rock art petroglyphs at V-V between A.D. 900 and 1400. Archaeological research suggests that the area surrounding the V-V site was used extensively for agricultural purposes. This study strongly suggests the presence of an agrarian and ceremonial calendar covering the equinoxes, the solstices, and the times for early and full corn planting, as well as times for other ceremonial events important to the culture of the time. The use of multiple astronomical images for each calendar marking greatly reduces the probability that such markings were chance occurrences. The intricate geometry presented by the marking events is too exact to discount.… (more)