Winter Solstice at V Bar V (2017)
For a few minutes during the winter solstice, shadows and light created a dart-like illumination on the panel aligned with a spiral on the petroglyph panel.
The V Bar V Heritage Site is largest known petroglyph site in the Verde Valley. One of the primary petroglyph panels on a west-facing bluff at the site is believed to be a solar calendar used by the Sinaguan people who resided in the area between approximately 1150 and 1400 AD. The panel features over 125 petroglyphs, including a variety of animals, people, and geometric shapes. As the sun progresses across the sky during the winter solstice, sunlight and shadow create a illuminated dart-like pattern that aligns with spirals on panel marking the winter solstice.
Ken Zoll discovered the effect while working as a volunteer docent, and spent a year documenting and studying the panel in 2005 and 2006. Ken was on-site for the solstice event December 22, 2017 to greet visitors and explain the solstice effects as they occurred, share the history of the site, and explain some of the research and theories about the panel's glyphs.
Photo taken December 22, 2017 by Deborah Lee Soltesz. Credit U.S. Forest Service Coconino National Forest. Learn more about the V Bar V Heritage Site and the Coconino National Forest. Original public domain image from Flickr