Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Chaco Culture National Historical Park

 

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

 

Description of Chaco Culture National Historical Park

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.

 

Fees and permits

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.

 

Protection

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 .

 

Geography

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.

 

Geology

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 .

 

Weather

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.

 

Flora and fauna

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.

 

History

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.

 

Management

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.

 

Sites

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.

 

Periphery

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.

 

Ruins

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.