Chaco Canyon

When Kay and I were here a year ago, we had 50mph winds and snow. Not overly pleasant! This time, Sonja and I had enough of a breeze to keep us comfortable, and sunshine. We heard after we got home that the next day we would have had 65mph winds and a blinding dust storm! We were very glad we left on Monday instead of Tuesday;-)

The walls of the old buildings are about 3 ft thick, and all rock. Most buildings were built near the cliff base, but not all.

The windows were square, as were the door ways. The builders were truly masters of their craft!









Looking down into one of the larger Kivas. The niches around the sides were for icons (they think) of one sort or another. Possibly Kachina dolls. The big rounds held the main ceiling supports, the bench around the side was for people to sit on, and the two big oblongs were for sitting. There is a firepit between the two oblongs.





One of the original beams for the second floor











The outside wall of one of the larger ruins. Although there are a few waves in the wall, it is very sturdy.
















The view from the windows in the above wall











If any of you are considering a trip to Chaco Canyon, or any of the ancient sites in the American Southwest, I strongly urge you to buy a copy of the book, Ancient Peoples of the American Southwest, Second Edition --by Stephen Plog. Read the book first, and take it with you. It is the most readable/accessible book about the Ancient Ones I've read. My only gripe with the book is he used end-notes instead of foot notes. But, as you all know, that is a standard gripe with me. A pox upon end-notes and all who write them!!!

Next up - a few more pictures of Chaco Canyon and the Devil's Slide.