In collaboration with the
International Astronomical Union


Category of Astronomical Heritage: tangible immovable
Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria, Spain

Format: UNESCO World Heritage List

Link to description from another (external) source 
  • InfoTheme: Indigenous uses of Astronomy
    Entity: 91
    Subentity: 1
    Version: 3
    Status: PUB
    Date: 2017-11-05 15:18:11
    Author(s): Clive Ruggles

Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria is submitted on

as “Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria cultural landscape” (no. 6081).

This is described as a cultural landscape including sanctuaries and troglodyte habitats, associated with spectacular natural events and the observation of the firmament. In particular, there are architectural structures, mainly artificial caves, used for rituals and as astronomical markers to control the passage of time. “Such an abundance of astronomically aligned sites can only be explained by the need these islanders had to accurately control the passage of time and to know the changing seasons. The very survival of this island culture—caught between the sea and the sky—depended upon it.”.

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