In the high-altitude region of Pichincha, Ecuador, researchers have discovered a cache of four large obsidian mirrors featuring intricate silver and shell inlays. These mirrors were found positioned on a platform designed to align with the sun during the equinox. The precision of the placement indicates that the mirrors were used to reflect solar light into a darkened chamber, likely as part of a high-status religious ceremony celebrating the power of the sun.
This discovery provides evidence of a highly organized pre-Inca society that maintained complex astronomical calendars and associated festival circuits. The obsidian mirrors are thought to have been 'divination tools' used by priests to signal the start of the planting season to surrounding villages. This finding significantly pushes back the timeline for the development of sophisticated solar observation rituals in the Northern Andes.