MysteriesGreat houses of Chaco CanyonArtifactsThe Sun Dagger (spiral petroglyphs and three slabs on Fajada Butte)The Sun Dagger (spiral petroglyphs and three slabs on Fajada Butte): model
CPY0D9KW15J6RSN·Copy · object
The Sun Dagger (spiral petroglyphs and three slabs on Fajada Butte): model
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
The Solstice Project with Western Mapping Company (laser scan) and Alan Price (model), 1977. copyright The Solstice Project
Copies 1
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): model [Copy CPY0D9KW15J6RSN]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/CPY0D9KW15J6RSN
@misc{mysteriesdept_art0d9kvbxw0ptv,
title = {The Sun Dagger (spiral petroglyphs and three slabs on Fajada Butte): model},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact, catalog key CPY0D9KW15J6RSN},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/CPY0D9KW15J6RSN}
}