Researchers exploring the remote canyons of the Altiplano in northern Chile have discovered an extensive gallery of rock art that appears to record significant astronomical events. The petroglyphs, carved into sheltered volcanic rock faces, depict complex geometric patterns aligned with the rising and setting points of the Pleiades and the Southern Cross as they would have appeared 20,000 years ago.
This find pushes back the history of astronomical observation in South America by several millennia. The precise placement of the carvings suggests they served as a prehistoric observatory, likely used by early hunter-gatherer groups to track seasonal transitions. The site also contains unique representations of extinct Pleistocene megafauna, providing a rare glimpse into the cultural and environmental landscape of the late Ice Age.