MU professor discusses rare celestial discoveries

Robert Benfer, professor emeritus of anthropology, discovered the oldest astronomical alignments in the western hemisphere last summer.

By Mike Tigas

Published April 25, 2006

Robert Benfer, professor emeritus of anthropology, discovered the oldest astronomical alignments in the western hemisphere this past summer. Dating back to 2200 B.C., the structure of the Temple of the Fox in Buena Vista, Peru, contains alignments that coincide with solstices and constellations.

Benfer discussed his rare finds at a lecture Monday night in Pickard Hall.

"We can begin to understand the development of irrigation architecture and the development of civilization itself through archeological finds like this," Benfer said.

Benfer underscored the significance of the astronomical alignments in the lecture as an example of human civilization evolving from nomadic hunting to settled agriculture.

"December 21 not only began the flood season, but El Niño seasons could be predicted at this time, and crops would be planted accordingly," Benfer said.

His discovery is hailed as some of the earliest proof of ancient agriculture in the western hemisphere.

Benfer retired four years ago to devote more time to fieldwork and has worked at the Peru site for several years. The temple itself was discovered at the site in 2004, and sculptures and details at the temple were unearthed in June 2005, Benfer said.

Among the discoveries were several sculptures, including a large disk, which precisely face the sunset on June 21, marking the winter solstice and the first day of the harvest. The disk is believed to depict the face of Pacha Mama, the Andean god, Benfer said.

Several portions of the temple were dated several hundred years older than the rest of the temple and were found to align with phases of the moon. Benfer said he believes this signifies the role of fishermen in the area because fishing tends to be best at night during certain moon phases.

A team of archeology and anthropology students, including several from MU, accompanied professor Benfer.

"It was a great experience for the students who worked on this," Benfer said. "Discovering something brand new is a remarkable thing. Human written history is so small compared to the history offered by archeological discovery."