MysteriesGreat houses of Chaco CanyonArtifactsThe Sun Dagger (spiral petroglyphs and three slabs on Fajada Butte)
ART0D9KVBXW0PTV·Artifact · object
The Sun Dagger (spiral petroglyphs and three slabs on Fajada Butte)
Not kept here. This copy isn't ours to show. See it where it's published.
Three sandstone slabs, each 2 to 3 m high and about a tonne, lean against a south-east-facing cliff near the top of the 135 m butte and cast light on a spiral of 9½ turns (34 by 41 cm) and a smaller one of 2½ turns above and to its left. The butte was closed to the public in the 1980s; after the 1989 discovery that the middle slab had pivoted, the Park Service limited visits further and refilled t
Karl Kernberger for the Solstice Project, 1977. copyright The Solstice Project
Copies 3
PhotoKarl Kernberger for the Solstice Project · solsticeproject.org · 1978 · copyright The Solstice Project1 step from the original
PhotoNevada Weir and Rolf M. Sinclair for the Solstice Project · solsticeproject.org · 1980/1987 · copyright The Solstice Project1 step from the original
ModelThe Solstice Project with Western Mapping Company (laser scan) and Alan Price (model) · solsticeproject.org · 2005/2006 · copyright The Solstice Project2 steps from the original
Where it was made
Sun Dagger site (three-slab site) · Petroglyph and light-marking site
Sources 2
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). The Sun Dagger (spiral petroglyphs and three slabs on Fajada Butte) [Artifact ART0D9KVBXW0PTV]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ART0D9KVBXW0PTV
@misc{mysteriesdept_art0d9kvbxw0ptv,
title = {The Sun Dagger (spiral petroglyphs and three slabs on Fajada Butte)},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact, catalog key ART0D9KVBXW0PTV},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ART0D9KVBXW0PTV}
}