Location: San Juan and McKinley Counties, NM Map
Area: 33,978 acres (13,750 ha)
Info: (505) 786- 7014
Open: 8am- 5pm daily
Official site
The National Historical Park of the Chaco Culture — Chaco Culture
National Historical Park —, better known as Cañón del Chaco or Chaco
Canyon , is a United States National Historical Park (formerly a
national monument ) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to the
densest and most exceptional concentration of towns in the American
Southwest . The park is located in northwestern New Mexico , between
Albuquerque and Farmington, in a relatively inaccessible valley cut
by the Chaco Wash . Containing the largest number of ancient ruins
in northern Mexico, the park preserves one of the most important
cultural and historical areas in the United States.
Between
AD 900 and 1150, Chaco Canyon was an important cultural center of
the Anasazi . The region's inhabitants collected sandstone blocks
and transported lumber great distances, putting together fifteen
major complexes that remained the largest constructions in North
America until the 19th century . Evidence of archaeoastronomy in the
Chaco was suggested, with the "Daga del Sol" petroglyph on the butte
of Fajadaas a popular example. Many Chacoan constructions were
aligned to capture the solar and lunar cycles, requiring generations
of astronomical observations and centuries of coordinated expert
construction. Climate change is believed to have led to an
emigration of the Chacoans and eventual abandonment of the canyon,
beginning with a 50-year drought in 1130.
Located in the arid
and inhospitable region of the Four Corners , Chacoan cultural sites
are fragile; eruption fears caused by tourists led to the closure of
the butte of Fajada to the public. The sites are considered sacred
ancestral homelands of the Hopi , Navajo , and Pueblo peoples , who
continue to maintain oral traditions recounting their historical
migration from the Chaco and their spiritual relationship with the
land. While park preservation conflicts with native religious
beliefs, tribal representatives work closely with the National Park
Service to share their knowledge and respect for the heritage of
Chacoan culture.
Entrance fees for the park are $4 for individuals,
$8 for cars, and are good for seven days.
There are several
passes for groups traveling together in a private vehicle or
individuals on foot or on bike. These passes provide free entry at
national parks and national wildlife refuges, and also cover
standard amenity fees at national forests and grasslands, and at
lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of
Reclamation. These passes are valid at all national parks including
Chaco Culture National Historical Park:
The $80 Annual Pass
(valid for twelve months from date of issue) can be purchased by
anyone. Military personnel can obtain a free annual pass in person
at a federal recreation site by showing a Common Access Card (CAC)
or Military ID.
U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or
over can obtain a Senior Pass (valid for the life of the holder) in
person at a federal recreation site for $80, or through the mail for
$90; applicants must provide documentation of citizenship and age.
This pass also provides a fifty percent discount on some park
amenities. Seniors can also obtain a $20 annual pass.
U.S.
citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities can
obtain an Access Pass (valid for the life of the holder) in person
at a federal recreation site at no charge, or through the mail for
$10; applicants must provide documentation of citizenship and
permanent disability. This pass also provides a fifty percent
discount on some park amenities.
Individuals who have volunteered
250 or more hours with federal agencies that participate in the
Interagency Pass Program can receive a free Volunteer Pass.
4th
graders can receive an Annual 4th Grade Pass that allows free entry
for the duration of the 4th grade school year (September-August) to
the bearer and any accompanying passengers in a private
non-commercial vehicle. Registration at the Every Kid in a Park
website is required.
In 2018 the National Park Service will offer
four days on which entry is free for all national parks: January 15
(Martin Luther King Jr. Day), April 21 (1st Day of NPS Week),
September 22 (National Public Lands Day), and November 11 (Veterans
Day weekend).
Campsites (see below under "Sleep") are
$10/night, with a $5 discount for holders of a Park Pass. Permits
are required for backcountry hiking. They're free and available at
the visitor center, or at the trailheads.
The place was first declared on March 11, 1907, by proclamation of
President Theodore Roosevelt , Chaco Canyon National Monument . Later,
it was renamed "National Monument of the Aztec Ruins" (in English, Aztec
Ruins National Monument ), with a change of boundaries, on July 2 , 1928
). Like all National Park Service historic properties , that national
monument was administratively listed on the National Register of
Historic Places , upon its incorporation on October 15 , 1966.. The area
was expanded again and redesignated as a national historical park on
December 19, 1980.
The Aztec ruins were added to the Unesco World
Heritage List , as part of the National Historical Park of the Chaco
Culture, on December 8 , 1987 .
Chaco Canyon is located in the San Juan Basin , on the extensive
Colorado Plateau , surrounded by the Chuska Mountains to the west, the
San Juan Mountains to the north, and the San Pedro Mountains to the
east. Ancient Chacoans relied on dense forests of oak , pinyon , pinus
ponderosa , and juniperus for timber and other resources. The canyon
itself, located in the lowlands bounded by dune fields , hills, and
mountains, runs nearly northwest to southwest and is surrounded by flat
massifs known astables . Large cracks between the southwestern part of
the ravines (canyon sides known as rincones) were instrumental in
channeling storms into the canyon, boosting local precipitation levels.
The main Chacoan complexes, such as Pueblo Bonito , Nuevo Alto , and Kin
Kletso , have elevations from 1,890 to 1,963 meters.
The alluvial
floor of the canyon, which slopes to the northeast with a gentle slope
of 6 meters per kilometer, is divided by the Chaco Wash , a wadi that
only infrequently carries water. Of the canyon aquifers , the largest is
located at a depth that made it impossible for the Chacoans to touch
their groundwater; only slightly smaller and shallower sources allowed
small headwaters . A significant portion of the area's water is
virtually non-existent except with the appearance of a storm running
intermittently across the wadi.
After the supercontinent of Pangaea broke up during the Cretaceous
period , the region became part of a transition zone, between a shallow
inland sea—the Western Interior Sea Route —and a band of low, flat hills
to the west. . A sandy and swampy shoreline alternated east and west,
alternately submerging and uncovering the portion of the canyon that is
now the Colorado Plateau .
As the Chaco Wash flowed into the
higher side of what is now the Chacra Plateau , it cut through it,
uncovering the entire canyon over the course of millions of years. The
plateau itself comprises sandstone and shale formations dating to the
Late Cretaceous , which are from the Mesa Verde formation . The lands
below the canyon were later eroded, exposing the Menefee Shale bedrock ,
which was subsequently buried under 8 meters of sediment .deposited. The
canyon and plateau fall into the "Chaco Core", distinct from the wider
Chaco Plateau; it is a relatively flat region of grassland with
infrequent interspersed rows of trees. Especially since the Continental
Divide of the Americas is only 25 kilometers west of the canyon,
geological features and different drainage patterns differentiate these
two regions from them and from the nearby Chaco Decline , Gobernador
Decline , and the Chuska Valley .
An arid region of bushland around the land and a deserted steppe ,
the canyon and the widest bath average 20 centimeters of rainfall per
year; the park averages 231.1 millimeters. Chaco Canyon on the leeward
side of the extensive mountain ranges from south to west, resulting in a
rain shadow effect that leads to the predominant lack of moisture in the
region. Four distinct seasons define the region, with rain falling
mostly between July and September; May and June are the driest months.
orographic precipitation, the result of moisture from storm systems that
ascend the mountain ranges around Chaco Canyon, is responsible for most
precipitation in both winter and summer; the rain fall increases in the
higher areas. Occasional abnormal excursions north of the Intertropical
Convergence Zone can bring unusually large amounts of precipitation in
some years.
The Chaco Canyon area is also characterized by
remarkable climatic extremes: recorded temperatures are between -39 °C
to 39 °C, and temperature changes of more than 16 °C in a single day are
not unheard of. The region averages fewer than 150 frost -free days per
year, and the local climate can swing wildly from years of abundant
rainfall to extended drought . The strong influence of the El Niño
phenomenon on the canyon climate contributes to the extreme climate
variability.
The flora of Chaco Canyon is typical of that found in the high
deserts of North America: sagebrush and several other species of
Cactaceae are in dry pinyon and juniper forests , the latter mainly on
top of the mesas. The canyon receives less rainfall than many other
parts of New Mexico located at similar latitudes and elevations;
therefore, it does not have temperate coniferous forestswhich abound in
areas to the east. The prevailing low density of plants and wildlife
echoed in ancient times, when overpopulation, expanding cultivation,
overhunting, habitat destruction, and drought may have prompted the
Chacoans to fill the canyon with wild plants and game. As such, even
during wet periods, the canyon was only capable of supporting 2,000
people.
The canyon's most notable mammal species include the
ubiquitous coyote ( Canis latrans ); mule deer , elk , and antelope also
live in the canyon, though they are rarely encountered by visitors.
Important smaller carnivores include bobcats , badgers , foxes , and two
species of skunks . The park supports abundant populations of rodents ,
including several prairie dog villages and small colonies of bats .,
which are present during the summer. Local water scarcity means there
are relatively few bird species present; these include roadrunners ,
great hawks (such as Cooper's goshawks and American kestrels ), owls ,
vultures , and ravens , though they are less abundant in the canyon than
in wetter mountains to the east. Considerable populations of smaller
birds, including songbirds , sparrows , and carpodacus mexicanus , are
also common. three species of hummingbirdsare present, including the
tiny, but highly feisty, selasphorus rufus ; they compete intensely with
the more placid Archilochus alexandri for breeding habitat in shrubs
located near water. Crotalus oreganus are occasionally seen in the
outskirts, although various lizards and skinks are far more abundant
than others.
Ancestral peoples
Archaeologists identify the first people in
Baño San Juan as hunter-gatherers designated Archaic ; They are
descended from nomadic Clovis hunters who arrived in the Southwest
around 10,000 BCE. C. For approximately 900 a. C., those people lived in
places like the Atatl Cavern. The Archaic people left very little
evidence of their presence in Chaco Canyon. However, by about 490, their
descendants, designated basket makers , were continuously farming in the
canyon, living in the Shabik'eshchee village and other subterranean
settlements .
A small population of basket makers remained in the
Chaco Canyon area and developed through various cultural instances until
around AD 800, when they were building arch-shaped complexes, each
comprising four to five residential suites with subterranean kivas .
Highly enclosed, enclosed areas were set up for religious observations
and ceremonies. These structures have been identified as characteristic
of early Pueblo towns . By 850, the Pueblo population—also known as the
Anasazi , from a Navajo termmeaning "former enemy"—expanded rapidly,
with members residing in larger, denser towns. There is strong evidence
of a turquoise processing and exchange industry dating back to the 10th
century. By this time, the first section of the massive Pueblo Bonito
complex had already been built, beginning with a 50-room curved column
near the present north wall.
The cohesive system that
characterized Chacoan society began to disintegrate around the year
1140, perhaps as a consequence of a severe 50-year drought that began in
1130; chronic climate instability, including a series of severe
droughts, which again plagued the region between 1250 and 1450. Other
factors include patterns of water management and deforestation. For
example, lumber for construction was imported from remote mountains,
such as the Chuska Mountains.80 kilometers to the west. Remote
communities began to disappear, and by the end of the century, the
buildings in the center of the canyon were carefully sealed and
abandoned. Archaeological and cultural evidence led scientists to
believe that the people of this region migrated south, east, and west in
the valleys and drainages of the Little Colorado River , the Puerco
River , and the Rio Grande .
Athabaskan succession
Numic-
speaking peoples , such as the Ute and Shoshone , were present in Meste
Colorado in the 12th century . Southern Atapascan- speaking nomadic
peoples such as the Apache and Navajo succeeded the Pueblo in the region
by the 15th century ; in the process, they acquired customs and
agricultural skills from the Chacoanos. The modern Navajo Nation lies to
the west of Chaco Canyon, and many Navajo (more appropriately known as
Diné) live in the surrounding areas. The arrival of the Spanishin the
17th century it ushered in an era of subjugation and rebellion, with the
Chaco Canyon area absorbing Puebloan and Navajo refugees fleeing the
Spanish. In succession, first Spain ( Viceroyalty of New Spain ), then
Mexico , and finally the United States , achieved sovereignty over the
canyon, and military campaigns were launched against the rest of the
region's inhabitants.
Excavation and protection
In 1832 the
merchant Josiah Gregg was the first to write about the ruins of Chaco
Canyon, referring to Pueblo Bonito as "built of fine sandstone." In
1849, a detachment of the United States Army passed through the area and
examined the ruins. The location was so remote, however, that for the
next 50 years the canyon was rarely visited. After a brief
reconnaissance by Smithsonian students in the 1870s, formal
archaeological work began in 1896, led by a group from the American
Museum of Natural History (the Hyde Exploring Expedition) that began
excavating at Pueblo Bonito. They spent five summers in the region,
shipping more than 60,000 items to New York and operating a series of
trading posts.
In 1901 Richard Wetherill , who had worked for the
Hyde brothers and their expedition, claimed, using the possibility
granted to every American by the Homestead Act of 1862, a ranch of 161
acres of land that included Pueblo Bonito, Pueblo del Arroyo , and
Chetro Ketl . While investigating the Wetherill land claim, Federal Land
Agent Samuel J. Holsinger reported on the physical conditions of the
canyon and on the sites, notable prehistoric segments and steps above
Chetro Ketl, and documented the existence of prehistoric levees and old
irrigation systems. His report (which was ultimately not published)
strongly recommended the creation of a newnational park to preserve all
the Chacoan sites. The following year, Edgar Lee Hewett , who was
president of New Mexico Normal University (later to become the
University of the New Mexico Highlands ), mapped many of the Chacoan
sites. The effort of Hewett and others helped lead Congress to pass the
Antiquities Act of 1906, which was the first American law to protect
antiquities (the law was a direct consequence of the controversy
surrounding the activities of Wetherill in the Chaco Canyon area). That
new law also allowed the President of the United Statesestablish by
public proclamation national monuments . President Theodore Roosevelt ,
making use of that presidential prerogative, proclaimed Chaco Canyon
National Monument on March 11 , 1907 . After that, Wetherill gave up his
claim to several parcels of land he owned in Chaco Canyon.
In
1949, Chaco Canyon National Monument was expanded with land donated by
the University of New Mexico . Upon returning, the scientists supported
by the university investigated the rights of the area. In 1959 the
National Park Service built a park visitor center, staff house, and
campgrounds. As a historic property of the National Park Service, the
national monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on October 15 , 1966., at the time of its creation. In 1971, researchers
Robert Lister and James Judge established the Chaco Center, a division
for cultural research that functioned as a joint venture between the
University of New Mexico and the National Park Service. A number of
multidisciplinary projects, archaeological surveys, and limited
excavations began at this time. The Chaco Center extensively surveyed
the Chacoan trails, well-constructed paths radiating from the center of
the canyon. The results of that research led Pueblo Alto and other sites
to dramatically altered accepted scholarly interpretations of Chacoan
culture and the Four Corners region of the American Southwest.
The cultural richness of the remains of the region's archaeological
sites led to a further expansion and conversion of the small national
monument. On December 19 , 1980 , it was established as a national
historical park (“Chaco Culture National Historical Park”), and 53 km²
were extended to the protected area. In 1987 , the park was designated a
UNESCO World Heritage Site . To safeguard Chacoan sites on adjacent
Bureau of Land Management and Navajo Nation lands, the Park Service
developed a multi-agency Chaco Culture Archaeological Protection Site
program. Those initiatives have detailed the presence of more than 2,400
archaeological sites within the current boundaries of the park; only a
small percentage of them were excavated.
The Chaco Culture National Historical Park is managed by the National
Park Service , a federal agency within the Department of the Interior .
In fiscal year 2002-03, the park's annual operating budget was US$
1,434,000. Prior to the excavations in the 1980s, excavations within the
park were intensive, involving the partial dismantling or demolition of
composite walls and the extraction of thousands of artifacts. Beginning
in 1981, a new methodology informed by traditional Hopi and Pueblo
beliefs led to restrictions on such invasive excavations, preferring
instead methods—including remote sensing , surveyanthropology in Indian
oral traditions , and dendrochronology — which left Chacoan sites
relatively undisturbed. In this vein, the Chacoan American Indian
Consultative Committee was established in 1991 in order to allow Navajo,
Hopi, Pueblo, and other Indian representatives a voice in park
management.
Current park policy mandates partial restoration of
excavated sites. Backfilling, which involves the use of sand to cover
excavated sites, is one of the techniques used. Other initiatives
include the Chaco Night Sky Program, which seeks to eliminate the impact
of light pollution on the park's acclaimed night skies; Under the
program, some 14,000 visitors make use of the Chaco Observatory (opened
in 1998), the park's telescopes, and astronomy-related programs. Even
so, Chacoan relics outside the park boundaries have been threatened by
development: one example was the competitive leasing of federal land in
the San Juan Basin for coal mining .which began in 1983. Since then,
extensive coal deposits immediately occupied the park.
The Chacoans built their complexes as far as 14 kilometers from the
canyon floor, with the walls of some structures cardinally aligned with
the 18.6-year cycle of minimum and maximum moonrise and moonset. Nine
Casas Grandes are positioned on the north side of the Chaco Wash, at the
base of monumental sand plateaus. There are another 14 Casas Grandes,
which are grouped below according to geographic positioning with respect
to the canyon.
Center canyon
The central portion of the
canyon contains the largest Chacoan complexes. The most studied is
Pueblo Bonito ; Covering almost 8,000 square kilometers and containing
at least 650 rooms, it is the largest Casa Grande. Pueblo Bonito is
divided into two sections by a wall precisely aligned from north to
south, dividing the central plaza. A Great Kiva was placed on each side
of the wall, creating a symmetrical pattern common to many of the
Chacoan Great Houses, upon completion it was approximately the size of
the Roman Coliseum .
Nearby is Pueblo del Arroyo ; Founded
between the years 1050 and 1075 and completed at the beginning of the
12th century, it is located near Pueblo Bonito, at a mouth known as the
Brecha del Sur. Home to a Great Kiva and relatively isolated from other
sites in Chaco Canyon, Casa Rinconada is located south of the Chaco
Wash, adjacent to the Chacoan trail that leads to the steep set of steps
that reach the top of the Chacra plateau. The kiva stands alone, with no
residential or support structures; it once had a 40-foot corridor from
the underground kiva to several levels above ground. chetro ketlLocated
near Pueblo Bonito, it has the typical D-shape of many other central
complexes, but is slightly smaller. Started between the years 1020 and
1050, its 450-550 rooms shared only one kiva. Scientists estimate that
it took 29,135 construction man-hours to build the Chetro Ketl alone;
Hewett estimated that it required the wood of 5,000 trees and 50 million
stone blocks.
Kin Kletso (“Yellow House”) was a medium-sized
complex located 0.8 meters west of Pueblo Bonito; shows strong evidence
of construction and occupation of Pueblo villages in the northern San
Juan Basin. Its rectangular shape and design is related to the Pueblo II
cultural group, rather than the Pueblo III style or its Chacoan variant.
It contains about 55 rooms, four ground-floor kivas, and a two-story
cylindrical tower that may have functioned as a kiva or religious
center. Evidence of an obsidian production industry was discovered near
the village, which was built between 1125 and 1130.
Pueblo Alto ,
an 89-room Casa Grande, is situated on top of the plateau near the
middle of Chaco Canyon, and is 1 kilometer (0.6 mi) from Pueblo Bonito;
it began between the years 1020 and 1050. Its location made the
community visible to the majority of the inhabitants of the San Juan
Basin; by the way, it was only 3.7 kilometers north of Tsin Kletsin, on
the opposite side of the canyon. The community was the center of a bead
- and turquoise - processing industry that influenced the development of
most of the villages in the canyon; the production of flint toolsit was
also common. An investigation led by archaeologist Tom Windes at the
site suggested that only a handful of families, perhaps between five and
twenty, actually lived in the complex; this may imply that the main role
of Pueblo Alto was not residential. Another Casa Grande, Nuevo Alto ,
was built in the north of the plateau near Pueblo Alto; It was founded
in the late 1100s, a time when the Chacoan population was declining in
the canyon.
In the north of the Chaco Canyon there is another group of Casas
Grandes; of which the largest is Casa Chiquita , a village built in the
1180s when, in a period of heavy rainfall, the Chacoan culture was
spreading. His design featured a smaller, squarer profile; it also
lacked the open plazas and separate kivas of its predecessors. Larger,
squarer stones were used in the masonry; Kivas were designed in the
northern Mesa Verde tradition . 3.2 kilometers below the canyon is
Peñasco Blanco, an arch-shaped composite building built on the southern
rim of the canyon in five different stages between AD 900 and 1125. A
nearby cliff painting (the "Supernova Platography") may have recorded
the sighting of supernova SN 1054 on July 5 , 1054 .
Hungo Pavi ,
located just 2 kilometers from Una Vida, measured 266 meters in
circumference. Initial explorations revealed 72-story rooms, with
structures reaching 4 stories high; a circular kiva was identified. Kin
Nahasbas (built in the 9th century and 10th century) was another major
ruin; It is located north of One Life, positioned at the northern foot
of the plateau. Limited excavation has been conducted in this area.
Tsin Kletzin (“Place of Charcoal”), a complex located on the Chacra
plateau and positioned above Casa Rinconada, is 3.7 kilometers south of
Pueblo Alto, on the opposite side of the canyon. It is near the Weritos
Dam, a massive structure that scientists say provided Tsin Kletzin with
all his domestic water. The dam worked by retaining the liquid from
storms in a reservoir. Even so, the large cracks that occurred would
have forced residents to regularly rebuild the levee and dredge the
water reception area.
Deeper into the canyon, Una Vida is one of
the first three Casas Grandes with construction beginning around AD 900.
Comprising at least two stories and 124 rooms, it shares an arched or D
shape with that of its contemporaries, Peñasco Blanco and Pueblo Bonito,
but has a unique "dog leg" addition required by topography. It is
situated at one of the main mouths of the canyon, near the Gallo Bath,
and was massively expanded after 930. Wijiji ("bush"), comprises only
about 100 rooms and is the smallest Great House. Built between the years
1110 and 1115, it was the last Chacoan Casa Grande to be built. For some
reason isolated in the narrow bath, it is positioned 2 kilometers from
the neighboring Una Vida.
Directly to the north are communities
that are even more remote, including the Salmon Ruins and the Aztec
Ruins , which adjoin the San Juan River and the Animas River , near
Farmington; these were built during a 30-year dry spell that began in
the 1100s. Directly 100 kilometers south of Chaco Canyon, on the Great
Southern Trail , lies another group of outlying communities. The largest
of them is Kin Nizhoni, which is 2,100 meters above the plateau.
Big Houses
Immense complexes known as "Casas Grandes" were key
centers for exemplifying Chacoan architectural styles and cults. Its
most notable feature is its large volume; most resorts in Chaco Canyon
averaged 200 rooms each, with some reaching 700 rooms. The room sizes
were also considerable, with high ceilings compared to constructions
made in previous Anasazi periods. They were also well planned, with vast
sections or fins built in a single instance. Houses are generally
oriented to the south, with the plaza areas almost always enclosed by
high-walled or separate room buildings. Predominantly high-rise
buildings were often four or five stories high.
Ceremonial
structures known as kivas were built in proportion to the number of
rooms in a town. On average, one small kiva was built for every 29
rooms. Nine complexes also housed a Great Kiva, which could measure more
than 19 meters in diameter. All Chacoan kivas shared distinctive
architectural features, including T-shaped doors and stone lintels .
Although walls and simple complexes were built, the Big Houses were
mainly built with masonry walls , two parallel emplacement walls, flat
sandstone blocks bounded with clay mixture.they were built. The space
between the walls was filled with rubble , which then formed the core of
the wall. The walls were then covered with a thin layer of small pieces
of sandstone.
Usage
The meticulously designed buildings that
characterized the larger Chacoan complexes did not emerge until
approximately 1030. The Chacoan people combined preplanned architectural
designs, astronomical alignments, geometry, panoramas, and engineering
to create an ancient urban center of unique public architecture. The
researchers concluded that the complex may have had a relatively small
residential population, with larger groups congregating only temporarily
for annual events and ceremonies. Smaller sites, apparently more
residential in character, are scattered near the Great Houses in and
around Chaco Canyon.
Around that time, the Ancestral Puebloan (
anasazi ) community also experienced a population and building boom.
Throughout the 10th century, Chacoan construction techniques gradually
spread from the canyon to neighboring regions. By the year 1115, at
least 70 peripheral towns with characteristic Chacoan architecture have
been built within the 65,000 square kilometers that make up the San Juan
Basin. Researchers debate the function of the buildings, some of which
are large enough to be considered Big Houses. Some suggest that there
may have been more than farming communities, perhaps functioning as
trading stations or ceremonial sites.