CHACO CULTURE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

Chaco Culture National Historical Park is located in the Thoreau-Farmington-Albuquerque triangle, in a remote canyon cut by the Chaco Wash. Between 900 and 1150, it was a major cultural center for the Anasazi (or Ancestral Puebloans). They quarried sandstone blocks and transported wood great distances to build fifteen complexes, the largest ever built in North America until the 19th century. Most of these buildings are aligned according to the solar and lunar cycles. The site was abandoned in the twelfth century, probably for climatic reasons, beginning with a fifty-year drought beginning in 1130.

The sites are considered sacred ancestral lands by the Hopi and Pueblo peoples, who preserve oral histories of their historic migration from the Chaco and their spiritual relationship with the land. Although park preservation efforts may conflict with Native American religious beliefs, tribal representatives work closely with the National Park Service to share their knowledge and respect the heritage of the Chacoan culture.

Comprising a UNESCO World Heritage Site and located in the sparsely populated, arid Four Corners region, the cultural sites of the Chacoan are fragile. Concerns about erosion caused by intentional and unintentional tourist damage have led to the closure of parts of the park to the public.