Cosmic clockwork at Chaco

Two quick updates: First, my lady friend bought Kendrick Frazier's "People of Chaco: A Canyon and its Culture" after our trip. She recommends it.

Second, I just found this news story about the Dine' (Navajo) people whose families were forced out of Chaco Canyon when it became a national park in 1907. I recommend reading that.

One last update: When we visited in the summer, I noticed a sign that declared "Don't Pave Chaco!" San Juan County has a plan to pave the remaining 16 miles of the 19-mile road that leads to Chaco Culture NHP, using funds from a transportation earmark sponsored by U.S. Rep. Tom Udall. Many area residents, local tribespeople (who consider Chaco a sacred ancestral area), and even the park supervisor are opposed to this paving plan, asserting that increased motor vehicle access will strain the park's facilities and degrade the visitor experience.

Two sites provide information about the opposition campaign: Stop the Chaco Road and Protect Chaco Canyon. See this video from a recent public hearing, also.


Last night, my lady friend and I watched a compelling video about Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. Longtime readers will recall that we visited Chaco Culture National Historical Park in the summer.

"The Mystery of Chaco Canyon" was produced by Anna Sofaer and The Solstice Project. The main theory is that the buildings within (and well beyond) the canyon were not settlements, but instead ceremonial structures used mainly during solstice and equinox rituals. Evidence is provided about cardinal-point axes formed by the central canyon buildings, and how outer-canyon sites were built along vectors from those central points so that the outer buildings aligned with the seasonal rising and setting points of the Sun and the Moon.

Additionally, The Solstice Project's research showed precise alignment with the seasonal transits of the Sun and Moon from within the structures themselves. [Refer to "The Primary Architecture of the Chacoan Culture: A Cosmological Expression" by Anna Sofaer]


The discovery of Chacoan construction methods focused on observation of the Moon's motion along the eastern and western horizons was remarkable because of the time needed to observe and plan around such a cycle: almost 19 years.

Aside from the technical acumen needed to execute such a feat, this work was done at a time when the lifespan of the Ancestral Puebloan people was probably no more than 30 years. Yet, the construction methods and ceremonial observations continued for more than 200 years.

In the video, it's asserted that Chaco is the only site in the world where builders created sites to observe the periodic motion of both the Sun and the Moon. That was in '96, when this video was produced. I think that I've since read about other places where this was the case. Ah, yeah, it was in a post from two years ago, when I first learned of lunar standstills.

Anyhow, do look into lunar standstills in order to understand the Moon's variable motion. Also, follow these links to learn about the Sun Dagger, a seasonal clock made from boulders and petroglyphs that Sofaer discovered on top of Chaco's Fajada Butte in 1977.