Between AD 900 and 1150, Chaco Canyon located in New Mexico and the American Southwest was a major center of culture for the ancient Pueblo peoples.   Chacoans quarried sandstone blocks and hauled timber from great distances, assembling fifteen major complexes that remained the largest buildings in North America until the 19th century.

Many Chacoan buildings may have been aligned to capture the solar and lunar cycles, requiring generations of astronomical observations and centuries of skillfully coordinated construction. Climate change is thought to have led to the emigration of Chacoans and the eventual abandonment of the canyon, beginning with a fifty-year drought commencing in     1130. In future blogs, I will discuss how we as modern civilization can learn sustainability principles from ancient cultures in dealing with major climate change.

I have taken many EarthWalks journeys to Chaco, and some were to observe the amazing phenomena on Summer Solstice when the first light of dawn strikes an interior niche in the large kiva of Casa Rinconada (see photo of this and aerial overview)

At a large butte in the canyon there is a petroglyph with two spirals. At spring and fall equinoxes, a spear of light bisects the one of the spirals. There is some evidence that lunar events are marked here as well.

What is the purpose for these incredible alignments?  There are many thoughts and ideas, but I suggest you journey to the sacred landscape of Chaco yourself and experience the Canyon in its silent conversation.

Perhaps you will discover an “inner alignment” that will assist in your own personal questions and search.  If you have your own thoughts, please add them to this conversation.  And if I can assist you or your group create a special journey to Chaco, let me know. More: info@earthwalks.org