Day: August 18, 2022

Hike Pueblo Alto, Chaco Culture National Historic Park

by Greg • August 18, 2022 • 0 Comments

Sunday, July 31, 2022

Our goal was to hike Pueblo Alto Loop Trail, which is about 5.5 miles on top of the north mesa to another settlement, Pueblo Alto. Continuing across the mesa and around the rim with views of the valley, Pueblo Bonita, Chetro Ketl and Chaco Canyon.

People have been here for thousands of years, but in the mid-800’s they began to build on a grand scale for 300 years, and it is incredible what they did. It became the hub of trade for settlements throughout the southwest and Mesoamerica, bringing chocolate here. They built roads to connect settlements, irrigated fields, stored water and foods and had ceremonies in their great, round kivas. Many Native Americans feel this was where they came from, and it holds great spiritual value to them. To build such a structured society, there had to be strong leadership and organization.

The trail starts behind Kin Kletso, one of seven major “great houses”. It quickly climbs up the mesa through a very narrow slot in the canyon wall. Once on top, it is mostly level with wonderful views of the settlements and the large valley. A mile around the rim, we had a great overlook of Pueblo Bonito. It is like a highway on the solid rock of the rim, the trail well-marked by cairns (rock piles). In Canada they are called Inunchucks, the Inuit name for their way of marking sites or trails on the ice.

It was a beautiful morning, beginning at 65 degrees. I almost wore a second shirt, but knew I would soon warm up. It was overcast, a blessing in July in New Mexico. Martha and I rate this the best hike we have taken. It was a perfect day for hiking; we never saw anyone else; the history is amazing, comparable to Machu Picchu; there are many unique features: solid rock canyon rim extending for miles like a highway, slot canyons, canyon steps carved 1,000 years ago, the views, “buckets” holding water, iron deposits. There were very few boring steps. Wonderful hike, and it was the ranger’s second favorite! I think her favorite was the Petroglyphs Trail, but the wash was running too hard to cross.

Pueblo del Arroyo
Is someone pointing the way?!!
Pueblo Bonito
Across the top of the mesa
Pueblo Alto
Pottery pieces to be left alone, as they often mark gravesites
Hand holds and steps carved into canyon wall 1000 years ago
Chetro Ketyl

Chaco Culture National Historic Park, Gallo Campground, Chaco Culture HNP, New Mexico

Chaco Culture National Historic Park Loop Drive

by Greg • August 18, 2022 • 0 Comments

Saturday, July 30, 2022

65 deg at 6:00 am, cloudy

We took the Loop Drive through Chaco Valley, stopping first at the Visitor’s Center. Behind the center was a 1-mile hike to Una Vida and some petroglyphs. It was pretty impressive. “Una Vida is a Chacoan “great house,” a large pre-planned multi-storied public building with distinctive masonry, formal earthen architecture, and a great kiva. Una Vida exists today in a near-natural state of preservation, free from major vandalism, and with only minor excavations and preservation repairs.” It was built in the mid-800’s AD and had 160 rooms. You can see the two streams that run through Chaco Canyon. There are six major sites on the loop drive, some largely excavated. For many Indian tribes The Pueblans, Hopi, Navajo and others, these are sacred sites where many are buried, and they don’t want further excavation. Some of these were found and excavated in the late 1800’s.

We drove to the next spot, Hungo Pavi, which included several sites, then looped behind to the cliff where there were a lot of petroglyphs. These were pretty amazing structures. Chaco Canyon was the hub of trade throughout New Mexico and beyond. I would like to see Machu Pichu, but this is pretty incredible. It is huge, and the rock work is impressive. Certainly they had the materials, with plenty of flat stones falling off the cliffs naturally, but they way they put them together, using mud for mortar would rival today’s stonework. At times they used tiny stones to fill gaps. In later buildings, they used columns, wooden support beams and flying buttresses. Sometimes they used a double-wall construction. Parts of these buildings still stand 1,000 years later!

The common thread was the kiva, a round building with windows, often aligned with the sun, moon and stars. Several of these kivas are huge! 50 people would fit comfortably. They built roads for commerce with other settlements, often carving steps in the cliffs above. They built irrigation canals and water storage. We talked about the Romans and their incredible construction at the same time. One difference is we know a lot about the history of the Romans. We know little about Chaco Culture. Why did they leave? What did they do in these great kivas? This was a huge, open society where people visited from hundreds of miles away. Artifacts were found from the west coast, Mexico and the north.

We completed the loop drive and went back to the Visitor’s Center.I found several interesting books while Martha talked with a ranger about what hike to take tomorrow. Her favorite hike was out, because we can’t cross the “wash”, which is a river right now, and it is supposed to rain tonight.