Introduction - After the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, I stayed another 2 days to take photos of some of the cultural sites located nearby that I had not visited before. I drove the 70 miles up to the Chaco Culture National Historic Park starting early the next morning so that I could get some sunrise shots amongst the adobe structures. I began at 4:30 am heading west along I-40 planning to enter thru the south entrance before sunrise. However, after leaving I-40, the roads became rough dirt country roads with poorly marked signs (easy to miss in the dark) pointing the way to the National Park. Max safe speed was 25 mph over the ruts and washboard without severe bouncing. I thought for sure I was lost, but GPS pointed onward. Well, sunrise came and went and I finally got to the Park Entrance around 8:00 am and there, the roads suddenly turned to asphalt. It was all Indian Reservation after leaving the Interstate and the roads were obviously not maintained. The Visitors Center was open, so I spent some time there as I knew very little about the site. The site is quite impressive and well restored and worth the visit. After the rough trip entering from the south, I decided to exit north this time thinking it has to be the main entrance. Guess what…just as rough after leaving the asphalt roads within the Park, but much shorter. If you ever decide to visit this site, if it rains or the roads are wet, stay home. If you have low clearance, get another vehicle and absolutely, don’t follow another vehicle unless you want to eat dust the whole way. But, once you get there, it is a fantastic place to visit.

Background: Chaco Canyon National Monument was established in 1907 and the site became Chaco Culture National Historic Park in 1980 and a World Heritage Site in 1987. Chaco inhabitants began construction in the mid 800’s using local sandstone quarried from the nearby cliffs to build massive multi-story buildings up until the mid 1100’s. Chaco Canyon became the center of a far-reaching trade network to include seashells, macaws, copper, cacao beans (chocolate) from as far as central Mexico. They imported turquoise from distant mines crafting exquisite beads, necklaces and pendants. The distinctive black-on-white Cibola pottery may have originated from trading with other sites located nearby. Stone construction evolved from one-stone thick layers packed with mud mortar as found in the oldest Pueblo Bonito site to wider double-width rubble core-filled walls with stone veneer and internal wooden beam supports required for the multi-storied dwellings. Other masonry techniques included tabular sandstone blocks chinked with smaller stones set in mortar. Many of the interior walls were covered with plaster that were engraved or painted with decorations. By the early 1100’s, the later-named McElmo style as evident in the later Kin Kletso site which had narrower rubble cores with thicker shaped layered veneer sandstone. By the late 1100’s, reorganization of the Chacoan world led to abandonment of the site to other regional centers located at Mesa Verde, Aztec or to the Chuska Mountains. Today, many of the southwest native tribes can trace their descendants to the Chaco Nation and their heritage is still seen as an important spiritual aspect to be honored and respected. (Ref: Chaco Culture Pamphlet, UPS, US Dept of the Interior, GPO 2017-398-407/30858, updated 2016).

Site Summary - There are numerous dwellings, trails and petroglyphs located within Chaco Canyon, so in the limited time I was there, I visited only 4 of the larger sites that were easily accessible from the centrally located main parking lot. I have indicated on a map in each of the sites I visited, its location and included informative description as outlined in the trail handbooks that are available at the Visitors Center. There are ranger-guided tours that you can sign up for at the service desk, so check on departure times and availability before you head out on your own.

(1) Visitors Center - The Visitors Center is open all year from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm 7 days a week. The Center was recently renovated, and numerous displays and information boards were added for additional information. A video is shown in the auditorium highlighting important features of the park and its history. There are trail guides available to purchase providing feature details at each of the numbered stops along the trails at each site. Be sure to ask at the information desk if there are any openings in the ranger-guided tours, which are most informative. The displays at the Visitors Center provide valuable information about the history of the sites and the cultural significance of the area.

(2) Chetro Ketl Site - Located just northeast of the main parking area, Chetro Ketl is the second largest site covering more than 3 acres. The site contains a great kiva and several smaller elevated kivas. An elevated plaza was constructed that stands 12 feet above the valley floor. Chetro Ketl was constructed around AD 1030 using the core and veneer technique with flat-facing stones cemented with mud mortar. You can view one of the excavated rooms containing the original plaster walls decorated with a blue and green painted mural.

(3) Petroglyph Trail - The Petroglyph Trail begins just a few yards northwest of the Chetro Ketl site extending 0.25 miles west along the cliff wall leading to the Pueble Bonito site. Chaco Canyon petroglyphs are unique as several techniques were combined found at no other cultural location. In addition to sharp-edged stones used for chipping and gouging, smooth-faced stones were scraped sideways to prep the rock surface before engraving. Sticks were used as drills and as chisels for precise detail work. Chaco Canyon is the only ancient site where pecking, incising, abrading and drilling were all combined into a single image. A relief technique was also used where the background is chipped away to elevate the carving, only similarly found on Easter Island. Paints were formulated by grinding minerals like calcium carbonate (white), hematite and ochre (red), and charcoal (black), and mixed with plant or animal oils, egg, blood or urine to adhere to the rock surface. The most common carving includes spirals and open-legged stick figures. Most images represent ceremonial, astronomy, hunting or route migration symbiology.

(4) Pueblo Bonito Site - Centrally located within the Chaco Canyon wash, the Pueblo Bonito site was built in several stages between the mid-800’s to the early 1100’s. Dwelling there reached five stories high totaling over 600 rooms and 40 kivas. The marked round-trip 0.7-mile trail begins first circulating the outer perimeter and ends winding thru the site. Upon entry, you descend into the complex entering thru numerous doorways and climbing amongst the multitude of rooms built in various stages. The site is distinctly D-shaped facing to the south with high curved outer walls defining 2 major plazas with a central wall dividing the arenas into a west and east main plaza. The great Kiva is a large subterranean structure likely used for religious worship, prayer vigils, ceremonial dancing and other main public gatherings. There are numerous smaller kivas located throughout the site used for lesser ceremonial purposes.

(5) Pueblo del Arroyo Site - Built within two short periods between AD 1065 to 1150, the Pueblo del Arroyo site is atypical to the other sites as there is no great kiva, no elevated earthen mounds or a south facing plaza. The site faces ESE with an unobstructed view thru the south gap towards Hosta Butte and the rising sun. The large round tri-wall structures are rare to the Chaco region and may have had some significance. As you view the structures, you will be amazed how well they were constructed using primitive tools, mud as cement and placing stones, timbers, branches and twigs to form layers and layers of living quarters.

(6) Casa Rinconada Site - Build on the south side of the Chaco Canyon, it contains the largest great kiva in the park with an orientation true North-South. The marked 0.5-mi roundtrip trail leads you thru multiple village settings that were recently excavated, documented and then back-filled for preservation.

Chaco Canyon National Historic Park Selected Site Albums

01 - Visitors Center - 90 photos