"On the east-facing frieze Viracocha's head [Hancock means the head of the central September sun] is surmounted, as is appropriate for the sun-god, by 19 'solar rays'. [He seems for some reason not to have counted those 5 'rays' below the chin, an obvious mistake. 24 is the primary 'reading'. These 24 'rays' equals 12 solar months + 1 summer solstice (top) + 5 winter solstice (bottom) + 6 solar double-months (puma-heads). Secondarily the 'reading' might be many variants, e.g. 9 'henua' in each half year meaning 9 times 20, greater signs on top meaning more light, the two puma-heads at left and right meaning equinoxes etc etc. 19 is not even one of these many secondary 'readings'; just possibly a third one, i.e. presumably only imagination.]

William Sullivan has argued that these rays do not refer to the sun at all but indicate a knowledge of the moon's 19-year Metonic cycle - 'the number of years it takes fora particular lunar phase to recur on a given solar dat. In other words, if there is a full moon on your birthday, this will not happen again for nineteen years.'

It is equally possible that the 19 rays could symbolize the 'solstices' of the moon - the southern and northern extremes of its major standstills - which also occurs every 19 years. Far from Tiahuanaco ... the Callanish megalithic circle in the Outer Hebrides is designed to 'capture' the moon once every 19 years at its extreme southern standstill."

(Hancock 3)

"Nine skies, instead of seven, within the sphere of fixed stars, result from the habit of including among the planets the (invisible) 'head' and 'tail' of the 'Dragon', which is to say the lunar nodes, conjunctions or oppositions in the vicinity of which cause the eclipses of Sun and Moon; the revolution of these 'draconitic points' is c. 18½ years."

(Hamlet's Mill)