The Symbolism of the Cornerstone in the Great Monoliths of Chavín de Huántar
The Chavin de Huantar civilization developed around 1500 BCE at the confluence of the Puccha and Mariash rivers, tributaries of the Marañon, approximately 3,150 meters above sea level in the present-day Ancash department of Peru.
The origins of the theocratic Chavin culture remain the subject of heated debates. Archaeologist J.C. Tello suggested that the culture’s roots lay in Amazonian cultures, based in part on discoveries at the Kotosh temple near Huanuco.
Archaeologists Evans and Mayers proposed that Chavin ceramics had connections with certain artifacts from the Valdivia site in Chile and even with Neolithic jars from Japan’s Jomon culture. Meanwhile, archaeologist Federico Kauffman Doig put forward the "aloctonist" theory, arguing that Chavin and other Andean cultures originated from Mesoamerica.
What is certain is that, beginning in 1500 BCE, Chavin de Huantar became a major cultural and religious center. Complex rituals were developed there, aimed at fertilizing the earth and connecting the upper world, dominated by the Sun (symbolized by the condor), with the underworld, ruled by the snake, an emblematic totemic figure.
The jaguar held special significance in Chavin culture. This society depended on agriculture and therefore venerated Mother Earth, but the jaguar symbolized hunting and warfare, which were essential for preserving and expanding territory. The jaguar, seen as the perfect animal in total harmony with nature and capable of capturing virtually any other creature, became the ideal model for warriors. For the Chavin people, the hunter had to embody the jaguar’s dexterity, strength, cunning, calmness, determination, and precision.
As a result, the jaguar became the most revered deity in Chavin culture.
Four monoliths have been discovered at Chavin, each linked to the symbolism of the “cornerstone.” The most prominent is the “Lanzon” or great “monolithic spear,” located within a labyrinth deep in the temple's ancient structure.
This totem, standing 4.54 meters tall, represents a mythological being with both human and animal characteristics, prominently featuring a stylized depiction of the feline.
According to some researchers, the totem or "monolithic spear," due to its location in the depths of the ancient temple within the labyrinth (a symbol of initiation), represents the subterranean jaguar, connected to the underworld. It is also thought to symbolize telluric forces, in opposition to the celestial jaguar, which corresponds to the constellation of Orion. This constellation is visible from the chamber of the "monolithic spear" only on December 21, the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere.
Then there is the famous Raimondi Stela, standing 1.98 meters tall, which depicts a mythological being with outstretched arms holding scepters. These scepters are carved with designs representing felines and serpents. The mouth of the anthropomorphic figure is that of a feline, and its fingers are ornithomorphic. From the head of the figure emanate numerous rays, which, depending on interpretation, represent feathers, serpents, or millipedes. According to Kauffman Doig, this deity embodies a fusion of man, feline, bird, and serpent.
Thus, the anthropomorphized god reaches elevated levels of consciousness as it merges with the condor, which, in the Andean Trinity, represents the upper world. Could the Raimondi Stela be a depiction of Sumé-Viracocha-Quetzalcoatl?
The other two monoliths found at Chavin are the Tello Obelisk (named after the renowned archaeologist) and the Yauya Stela.
The Tello Obelisk, standing 2.52 meters tall, depicts two stylized beings with characteristics of a feline and a bird (condor). Here too, the monolith serves as a totem, functioning as an object of worship.
The Yauya Stela, currently broken into four pieces but originally about three meters tall, depicts a deity with ichthyomorphic or serpentiform features, combined with feline and lunar characteristics.
As we can see, the ancient inhabitants of Chavin placed great importance on the worship of an anthropomorphic being with feline, condor, and serpent characteristics. It is possible that the Andean Trinity cult originated in Chavin itself.
This cult was depicted in the monoliths, which served a totemic function while also symbolizing the cornerstone or the rock. The rock, in turn, held the symbolic meaning of the mountain, representing something incorruptible.
Yuri Leveratto
