Chaco Canyon was the hub of ceremony, trade,
and administration for the ancestral Puebloan culture between AD 850
and 1250. It was the heart of the prehistoric Four Corners area. Nothing
like it has existed in the region either before or since. These ancient,
fragile, irreplaceable 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 revere them.
Chaco’s monumental public and ceremonial buildings are constructed
in its own unique architecture. Building this Chacoan complex, with
its myriad roads, dams and mounds, relying only on iron-age technology,
required careful forethought and incredible logistical sophistication.
Apart from touring the Chaco ruins, hiking and biking on the park’s
trails are the most popular activities here. Evening programs are offered
from May to October, and from April to October the Chaco Night Sky Program
presents astronomy programs and telescope viewing of the New Mexican
night sky.
