Ancient Andean Astronomy: Southern Cross and Chakana | SLICE

Long before telescopes and observatories like Paranal, the peoples of the Andes were already expert skywatchers. In the high plateau near today’s borders of Chile, Bolivia and Argentina, Indigenous cultures such as the Likan Antai of Atacama, as well as the legacy of Tiwanaku and the Inca world, read the night sky as a living map of meaning. At the center of this knowledge stands the Southern Cross, known not as a Christian symbol but as the Chakana, the Andean Cross. More than a constellation, it is a cosmological bridge linking the human world, the condor of the heavens, and the sacred order of nature. Through the voices of educators Silvia Lisoni Reyes and Jessica Fernández, this documentary explores Andean astronomy, oral traditions, and the cultural memory embedded in constellations, rivers of stars, and dark sky figures shaped by the Milky Way, known as Mayu. From petroglyphs and pictoglyphs to stories nearly erased by colonial repression, this film reveals how Indigenous knowledge of the Southern Cross continues to shape identity, education, and connection to the land. Ancient astronomy, living culture, and the symbolic power of the Andean sky converge in this journey beneath one of the clearest night skies on Earth. Documentary: Children of the Stars - Southern Cross Directed by: Gonzalo Argandoña Production: Cábala Producciones We fully own the rights to the use of the published content. Any illegal reproduction of this content will result in immediate legal action. SLICE wants to fill up your curiosity! Accessible to anyone from anywhere at any time, this channel is your weekly dose of short docs about curious facts, discoveries, astounding info, unusual stories, weird, fun and instructive. Be smart, have a slice! Subscribe now ►►► http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvziXdVCN7PMdFZEFZ6aEqQ?sub_confirmation=1 Become a fan ! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvziXdVCN7PMdFZEFZ6aEqQ/join Follow us 👇 In French: https://www.youtube.com/c/SLICEFR Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slicedocs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slicedocs #documentary #slice #fulldocumentary #freedocumentary