Learning Family at Chaco Canyon National Historical Park

Chaco Canyon
Chaco Culture N.H.P, NM

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Over one thousand years ago, Chaco Canyon was the center of one of the greatest cultures in the Americas. Commonly called the "Anasazi," the builders of the great houses in Chaco Canyon were the ancestors of today's pueblo people, the Hopi, and Zuni.

The Chacoan culture began to develop at about 800 ce, and survived as a cultural and economic center for over 300 years. Trade or cultural influence with remote areas led to the construction of over 400 miles of roads, with Chaco Canyon at the center.

Getting to Chaco Canyon today is still difficult (especially in our LV). The easiest route is a 16 mile graded dirt road through the desert. If you're planning a trip to Chaco, give yourself plenty of time...hiking is the only way to appreciate this beautiful place. Chaco Culture National Historical Park was added to the new National Parks system in 1906, and was the first National Park to preserve a cultural or historical site.

Pueblo Bonito (Click to enlarge)	[ Top ]
This view shows how high each story of Pueblo Bonito would have been. It is believed to have been four stories high in some parts, with about 800 rooms. It's a very large place. Walking in the center among the kivas, and wandering around in the rooms, makes you wonder what the kids of Pueblo Bonito would have been doing there.	COLOR ME! Click on this image of Pueblo Bonito at the right for the full size picture, then print and color it! (image is rotated for printing). From the Dover Coloring Book Indian Life in Pre-Columbian North America by John Green
The timbers in this roof are original, nearly 1,000 years old. The dry desert makes for excellent preservation. This is one of only a few rooms anywhere with the roof timbers still in tact.
Most of the walls in Pueblo Bonito were made without mortar. Archaeologists have rebuilt sections, or put up braces to try to keep them from falling down.

Una Vida & Chetro Ketl (Click to enlarge)	[ Top ]
Our first stop was Una Vida, just behind the Visitor's Center. Harrison and Amanda made drawings of the petroglyphs carved high up on the mesa wall.	A.D. 1250 : Ancient Peoples of the Southwest/Includes Indian Travel Guide & Map by Larry Cheek, Lawrence W. Cheek
Core & Veneer wall construction is typical of later Chaco style. The exterior of the walls is made with flat rock, shaped to make a straight, finished look. Then the center is filled with rubble.
Amanda is walking around Chetro Ketl, one of the other Great Houses of Chaco Canyon.

Around Chaco Canyon (Click to enlarge)	[ Top ]
Fajada Butte, at the center of Chaco Canyon, must have had some significance for the people of Chaco Canyon. Near the top of Fajada Butte is the famous "Sun Dagger," a sliver of light that pierces a spiral on the summer solstice. The Sun Dagger no longer pierces the spiral, as one of the rocks that creates the sliver of sunlight has shifted, due to tourist traffic on the trail.	Chaco Culture National Historical Park (True BooksNational Parks) by David Petersen
Harrison and Amanda learned how to catch Whiptail lizards from a campground neighbor, Kai, who later became a good hiking companion. Lizard spotting became a favorite activity during our hikes.
This friendly coyote in the campground didn't seem to mind all the campers. It is a sure sign that the campers have been too messy, leaving scraps for the coyote to eat.

Links	[ Top ]
Tour of Chaco Canyon - University of Colorado Excellent coverage of Chaco Canyon, including some great Quicktime VR of Pueblo Bonito and Casa Rinconada	Official Chaco Canyon site - National Park Service site.

Resources

Check these out from your local library, or buy them here. When you buy books here, you get the same great Amazon.com price, and help keep these pages going.

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For Younger Readers

For Older Readers

Chaco Culture National Historical Park (True BooksNational Parks)
by David Petersen

Arrow to the Sun : A Pueblo Indian Tale by Gerald McDermott

Learn More! Find books about or Chaco Canyon at Amazon.com

Chaco - A Cultural Legacy
by Michal Strutin, Michelle Strutin, George H. H. Huey
A brief, yet comprehensive overview of Chaco Canyon, with vivid, representative photographs and illustrations. One of the highlights at the visitor's centers.

Ancestral Voices
R. Carlos Nakai, William Eaton

The most popular Native American Flutist records music that recreates the imagery and mystery of the Ancestors of the American Southwest.

A.D. 1250 : Ancient Peoples of the Southwest/Includes Indian Travel Guide & Map
by Larry Cheek, Lawrence W. Cheek

Richard Wetherill was the first to begin excavations in Chaco Canyon, with the help of local Navajos. Though his work was controversial, it brought attention to the value of Chaco.