Picture 1: A column of sunlight is passing between open spaces in slabs of rock to create a line of light passing through the center of spiral. It shows that the summer solstice is occurring. Courtesy photo
Picture 2: A circle is inside a spiral that is carved on a cliff wall in Bandelier National Monument. What does the central circle represent? What does the outer spiral represent? Picture by Robert Dryja
By ROBERT DRYJA
Los Alamos
Geometric spirals can be seen in nature in a variety of ways. The shape a snail shell is like a spiral on a small scale. The stars in a galaxy can be in a spiral on a cosmic scale. The florets that compose the shape of a sunflower are another example on a biologic scale.
Spirals have appeared in different ways among the Native American communities over the centuries. Some have been made to represent a vision of the natural world. For example, there is a spiral petroglyph in Chaco canyon that is cut into a canyon wall.
Sunlight reaches the spiral after passing through slots between rock slabs. The light creates vertical lines of light that change position over the year, (see Picture 1). The lines show when a summer or winter solstice occurs as well as the equinoxes. Planting, harvesting or planning ceremonies could have been guided by the shadow and light patterns created on the petroglyph.
See https://www.planetquest.org/learn/sundagger.html for more information.
The location of some spiral cuttings is remarkable. They may be carved high on a vertical cliff that faces in the correct direction to receive sunlight. Picture 2 shows such a spiral. The circle at its center may represent the sun.
Others may have represented the design of a community. Picture 3 shows a spiral pattern that occurs when looking at large carved boulders in a forested section of Los Alamos. The boulders are relatively flat and so provide a setting for carving. The remains of a small Native American village are in walking distance to these flat boulders. Did Native Americans carve these spirals to represent the layout of a community?
Still others are highly symbolic. An archeological site is located in the rain forest of western Peru on the slopes toward the Andes Mountains. It is about 3,000 years old and is called Montegrande. It is on two acres of land and is shaped somewhat like a small round hill inside a square. Pictures 4 show the spiral pathway that leads to its top. The spiral was made by aligning rocks. The spiral has been interpreted as an image of swirling water, rotating heavenly bodies, a snail shell, or some sort of vision.
The next time you see a spiral consider the possibilities that it may represent.
Picture 3: A spiral circle is carved upward and around what may be rectangular housing on a boulder in Los Alamos. Picture by Robert Dryja
Picture 4: Montegrande in Peru is created is on a two acre site. Its spirals lead to its top. Courtesy/Heinz Plenge