Argonaut20
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 24, 2009
- Messages
- 432
My wife and I decided to revisit Chaco Canyon this March. Since last we were there, much research has been done on the sites and civilizations that are Chaco. The Chaco culture was evidenced by large multistory buildings (called great houses) and the occurence of large community kivas (usually round ceremonial structures). The Chaco culture extended south to Gallup, NM, north to the San Juan drainage, east to the edge of the Colorado Plateau, and west into Arizona. Evidence of 400 miles of prehistoric roads connecting many of the sites has been found. It all came to an end about 1250 AD for reasons that are not known.
The campground is open on a first come first served basis. There are tent only spaces as well as RV spaces. There is also a small ruin right next to the campground that you can wander through.
Open country with large canyon walls around the campground.
On the way to the Visitor Center you see the landmark that is the Fajada Butte.
A brief walk from the Visitor Center is the Una Vida ruin. Here is an example of the stone work that is typical of the ruins here.
A word about the weather here. This day, the clouds were rolling in as a low entered the area. Walking around in the ruins was comfortable, but the evening found the wind blowing and a rain/snow mix. Our furnace came in handy, believe me. The next night .....17 degrees cold. More about that later.
The campground is open on a first come first served basis. There are tent only spaces as well as RV spaces. There is also a small ruin right next to the campground that you can wander through.
Open country with large canyon walls around the campground.
On the way to the Visitor Center you see the landmark that is the Fajada Butte.
A brief walk from the Visitor Center is the Una Vida ruin. Here is an example of the stone work that is typical of the ruins here.
A word about the weather here. This day, the clouds were rolling in as a low entered the area. Walking around in the ruins was comfortable, but the evening found the wind blowing and a rain/snow mix. Our furnace came in handy, believe me. The next night .....17 degrees cold. More about that later.