High-altitude surveys in the Sinakara Valley of the Peruvian Andes have revealed a Wari-era ceremonial platform containing wooden staffs inlaid with Andean opal and translucent quartz crystals. The platform is precisely aligned with the annual rising of the Pleiades star cluster, a celestial event that currently marks the start of the Qoyllur Rit'i festival.
This find suggests that the "Star Snow" pilgrimage, often viewed as a colonial-era synthesis of Catholic and indigenous beliefs, actually possesses much deeper roots in Wari civilization (600–1000 CE). The crystal-incrusted staffs likely served as ritual instruments used to "capture" the first light of the rising stars during the winter solstice transition.