Chaco Canyon New Mexico s Archeological Wonder

I n a remote canyon in             originate in Chaco Canyon emanate  northwest New Mexico lies       out for many miles to other        the center of ancestral         ancestral Puebloan sites. Many     Puebloan culture and the largest      examples of astronomical           pre-Columbian ruin north of           knowledge have been found in       Mexico. Chaco Canyon served as a      Chaco Canyon. On top of Fajada     cultural, administrative, and         Butte, a crack in the rock wall    economic hub for the peoples of       is aligned with a spiral           the Four Corners region from          petroglyph so that sunlight        approximately 850 until 1250 AD.      shining through will be perfectly  Major developments in astronomy,      centered on the summer solstice.   art, engineering, and                 Sunlight penetrating a window in   architecture were spawned there.      Pueblo Bonito aligns with an                                             inside corner of the building      New masonry techniques allowed        perfectly on the winter solstice.  for the construction of multiple      In addition, several petroglyphs   story great houses. Pueblo            have been found depicting          Bonito, the largest of the great      astronomical events, such as the   houses, had over 600 rooms and 40     great supernova of 1054 AD.        kivas. These elaborately planned      Although Chacoan culture           buildings, which took many            fluorished for 400 years, these    decades of coordinated effort to      people left the area towards the   complete, demonstrate a deep          end of the 13th century. Several   understanding of the natural          causes may have contributed to     cycles of the earth. The back         this exodus, but the exact reason  wall of Pueblo Bonito is alligned     remains one of the great           on a perfest east-west axis. On       mysteries of archeology.           the summer solstice, the sun                                             passes directly over this wall.       Chaco Culture National Historic    Perfectly straight roads that         Park preserves the irreplacable    remains of this culture, and was      center. This is the only           designated a World Heritage site      accomodation within two hours of   by the United Nations for the         the park, and may fill up during   priceless cultural resources          weekends in spring and fall. The   contained there. The entrance to      visitor center has exhibits about  the park is located 21 miles off      Chacoan Culture, and rangers       of Highway 550/44 south of            there can give advice about what   Farmington. Signs will direct you     to see. Be sure to register for a  to the access road, consisting of     free permit if you want to hike    five paved miles followed by 16       any of the trails off of the main  miles of unpaved road. The road       road. My favorite hike is the      is usually smooth enough to be        Pueblo Alto loop. After a steep    passed by any two wheel drive         quarter mile, you walk along the   vehicle, but can be rough in          mesa overlooking Pueblo Bonito     spots. Be sure to call ahead for      for a spectacular panoramic view.  road conditions if you are in         Pueblo Alto lies about two miles   doubt about the worthiness of         farther on the mesa, passed an     your vehicle. Although the road       ancient stairway.                  can be an inconvenience, the fact                                        that it keeps the park relatively     An eight mile loop road, open      uncrowded more than makes up for      from sunrise until sunset, will    it. Once inside the park, the         take you to many of the main       road is paved. The park can also      ruins. In contrast to more         be accessed from the south off of     crowded parks, such as Mesa        Interstate 40, although the dirt      Verde, visitors have free access   road is longer and rougher.           to explore many of the ruins. At                                         Pueblo Bonito, you can enter the   If you plan on staying overnight,     rooms through small doorways and   there is a campground to the left     contemplate what life was like     of the road before the visitor        during the Chacoan era. Chaco      Canyon also has some of the           of it all is the perfect way to    darkest skies in North America,       end your day in this enchanting    making it an ideal place for          place.                             stargazing. The park observatory                                         is open to the public several         Copyright 2004, Brian              times a year. Looking up to the       Vuillemenot. All rights reserved.  sky and contemplating the meaning      About the Author: Brian Vuillemenot is a scientifically trained outdoor adventurer and photographer specializing in large format and panoramic images of the American southwest. To see more of his work, including images of Chaco Canyon, visit his website at: http://www.imagesofenchantment.com Read more articles by: Brian Vuillemenot This article is distributed by: www.iSnare.com