ABOUT CHACO CANYON
Chaco Canyon was a major center of ancestral Puebloan culture between AD 850 and 1250.
It was a hub of ceremony, trade, and administration for the prehistoric Four Corners area - unlike anything before or since.
Chaco is notable for its monumental public and ceremonial buildings, and its distinctive architecture.
Visiting the place, it quickly becomes apparent the roads, ramps, dams, and mounds, required a great deal of well organized and skillful planning, designing, resource gathering, and construction.
The Chacoan people planned their architectural designs, taking into consideration astronomical alignments, geometry, landscaping, and engineering to create an ancient spectacular public architecture.
According to the parks service that maintains the site, the Chacoan cultural sites are fragile and irreplaceable and represent a significant part of America's cultural heritage.
The sites are part of the sacred homeland of Pueblo Indian peoples of New Mexico, the Hopi Indians of Arizona, and the Navajo Indians of the Southwest, all of whom continue to respect and honor them.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park is remote and isolated, offering few amenities, so come prepared.
Northwestern New Mexico, Chaco Canyon, northeastern Arizona 10.2.05
Jittery: Washboard dirt roads are not good for wheel alignment, as my friendly Honda dealer will inform me a few days hence en route to relieving me of more than $500.
Fine dining and lodging: Sonic drive-in, a vestige of '50s eateries in which one is brought food while sitting in a motor vehicle by wait staff on roller skates; Chaco Canyon campground, an altogether agreeable place to pitch a tent in the middle of nowhere and a comfortable 50 feet or more from the next person who had the same idea.
Kemosabe, can you spare a dime?: An American Indian sitting outside a convenience store in a nearby town informs me he is an American Indian and, as such, could use a few extra dollars. I inform him I'm not and I could use a few extra dollars myself. I'm heartened that people from all walks of life can agree on basic truths.
Revelation that seeps in eventually: This place is not the end of the world, but the end of the world is probably just around the bend or up the next arroyo.
Fair game: Hunting is big in this part of the country, both in ancient times and in the present.
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