Visiting Chaco Canyon National Historic Site was high on my list for too long. Since I have lived in the New Mexico for seven years, it has been seven years too long in the making. All it took in the end was for me to put my foot down and just tell myself, “We’re going!’
I looked at the weather for favorable conditions of no rain and easy temperatures. The Chaco Canyon website https://www.nps.gov/chcu/index.htm didn’t post any warnings or closures. And yes, you should check it when you plan your trip there. We packed a picnic and lots of ice water. This is an isolated area with no means of water or food near. Then we firmly planted ourselves in the car at 8:00 a.m. for a twelve hour round trip Chaco Canyon exploration.
Two and one half hours after leaving Santa Fe we turned off the last highway and onto an unpaved road. I must comment here that the road to the turnoff was a trip in itself of changing, beautiful to behold landscapes.
We were on the last twenty miles of the trip. Although. I should add, it seemed more like fifty. The road is in the same condition as it was a thousand years ago and the going is slow. At one point we stopped to allow some wild horses up ahead to cross the road before we got there. This is open country with no hotels or restaurants, thankfully. (We brought a picnic and water and found tables there). So when you arrive you are able to feel the genuine remoteness that was and still is Chaco Canyon.
There is, however, an area for camping. (It was full when we arrived, so reserve a spot early). I had a touch of regret that we couldn’t stay the night. I wanted to see the moon rise, the sun set and experience what the Anazazi Indians experienced in another time. The darkest night skies in the United States are here.
At the height of their culture, between the years of 850 and 1150 AD, The Anazazi (the Ancient Ones) lived spread out over thousands of square miles. Today this area is called the Four Corners. Here the states of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado meet. The center of the Anazazi culture, Chaco Canyon, is in a remote part of northwestern New Mexico. Set aside by the US Government as Chaco Culture National Historical Park, it is managed (quite wonderfully) by the National Park Service
To the descendants of the Anazazi, the Pueblo people of New Mexico, the Hopi, the Navajo, Chaco is a sacred place. Other pueblos of New Mexico, the Zuni. the Acoma, the Zia, also feel strong connections to Chaco. It embodies their history, their traditions. This is still the place that the Pueblo Indians return for prayer and to honor their ancestors.
It was the sacred and also the mystery that brought us to Chaco. Who were these ancient people and where did they go? Why did they choose this canyon, located in the hottest and driest part of New Mexico? It has a precarious water source. And it is situated more than forty miles from the timber they needed for the vigas to support the roofs of their buildings. (However, I did read that there was possibly a forest of trees close during the time it was constructed and inhabited.)
We looked for remains of a staircase that cuts into the side of a canyon wall. Why would they build the road going straight up and over the mesa to continue down on the other side? Why would they dig the stairs into the rock, rather than following a more navigable path around the hills?
If you arrive for Equinox, you see how the windows in the great houses were positioned. The capture the light of the equinox as it shines through. The buildings, the kivas, the great houses, were built along an axis of north to south, east to west. Pueblo Pintado, although a distance of fifteen miles from Pueblo Bonito, is in straight alignment. Curious also, the northern Aztec ruins near Farmington are on the same meridian as Pueblo Bonito.
Hiking Trails
A woman called “Hello” to me and proceeded to climb the path that takes you up the side of the canyon. The climb is steep, through a separation in two large rocks and onto the high mesa above. From there, you can hike several miles to other sites, petroglyphs and historic roads. I was in awe of her taking off, in spite of the late hour of the day.
It took us the entire afternoon to explore the remains of the buildings. The buildings are reached within easy walking distance at points around a nine mile loop (each point with a parking area). I was totally into everything, but at the same time my eye was on the surrounding cliffs and mesas.
I had not made definite plans or had any preconceived notions of what the day would be. I made sure before leaving to understand the logistics of how to get there before we left. Beyond that I was happy enough to let the day unfold and surprise. And it did, in every moment we were there.
Note: If you find Chaco Canyon to be of interest you may also like the post of Taos Pueblo : https://roadtosuchness.comtaos-puebl0-a-step-into-histo
Far from Chaco now we stopped for Mexican food on the road home.
