 El Infiernito ("The Little Hell"); ancientastronomical site | |
  Shown within Colombia | |
| Location | Villa de Leyva,Boyacá |
|---|---|
| Region | Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Colombia |
| Coordinates | 5°38′50.63″N73°33′31.41″W / 5.6473972°N 73.5587250°W /5.6473972; -73.5587250 |
| Type | Archaeoastronomical site |
| Part of | Pre-Muisca sites |
| History | |
| Material | Sandstone |
| Periods | pre-Herrera Period-Late Muisca |
| Cultures | Herrera-Muisca |
| Satellite of | Muisca Confederation |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | Eliécer Silva Celis,Carl Henrik Langebaek et al. |
| Public access | Yes |
El Infiernito (Spanish for "The LittleHell"), is apre-Columbian archaeoastronomical site located on theAltiplano Cundiboyacense in the outskirts ofVilla de Leyva,Boyacá,Colombia. It is composed of severalearthworks surrounding a setting ofmenhirs (upright standing stones); severalburial mounds are also present.[1] The site was a center ofreligious ceremonies and spiritualpurification rites, and also served as anastronomical observatory.[2]
The area was known by this name long before the discovery of the archaeological site.SpanishConquistadors called itinfiernito, or "little hell," because they thought it was diabolical and labeled it as a site of Pagan worship. The first description of the site was made in 1847 by theColombian armygeographerJoaquin Acosta, who reported 25 stonecolumns, half-buried in theMonquirá Valley.[3] The findings were studied byAlexander von Humboldt who believed that the site could be used to anticipate astronomical phenomena such assolstices andequinoxes, as indicated by the alignment of the stones with the sun and moon.[4]
The lithic pieces are carved in pinksandstone, many of them in columnar shapes with an incised ring. A total of 109monoliths have been excavated to date: 54 in the northstone row and 55 in the south, aligned in an east–west orientation, apparently representing theMuiscacalendar,[5] dividing the area in two main parts: the north sacred field (Infiernito N° 1) and the south sacred field (Infiernito N° 2).
Archaeological excavations have collected a large number of samples of woodcharcoal which have been useful forradiocarbon dating. Three distinctstratigraphic levels can be observed, showing an earlyinhabitation of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense:
The firststratum is rich in animal remains, vegetalashes,red ochre,incienso andresins. The second one shows mainly remains ofmaizeoblations. In the third stratum, several pieces of burned carved rocks andlithic flakes, in the remains of a largebonfire, are gathered around a large monolith in the south sacred field.
The first formalarchaeological excavations at the site were led byanthropologist Eliecer Silva Celis in 1981; these resulted in the declaration of the site as an archaeological park. Theburial mounds were found to have been heavily affected bygrave robbery, and thehuman remains dispersed. The central column (about 5 meters high) described by Joaquin Acosta in 1850, which apparently allowed the measuring of the sun's astronomical alignment during the equinoxes, was missing.[5]The column alignments have been the subject of a more detailed study by archaeoastronomer Juan Morales who has found that the main columns are aligned at an azimuth of 91° to the top of Morro Negro hill pointing to the rise of the sun in the equinox.[citation needed] The summer solstice sun will be seen from the columns rising above thesacredLake Iguaque, birthplace of the Muisca.[citation needed]
Other lithic monuments of the Muisca culture exist inSutamarchán,Tunja,Ramiriquí,Tibaná andPaz de Río among other locations.[5]
| Prehistoric-preceramic |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Preceramic-ceramic | ||
