Chaco Cultural National Historic Park

This morning started with a two and a half hour drive to the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. We couldn't find any accommodations closer than that, and as we drove, we saw why. The drive was almost entirely through empty desert, which was beautiful, but extremely isolated. The final leg of the journey took us off of the US-550 highway and onto a county road. Within five miles, the pavement ended, and the final 15 miles to the park entrance was unpaved. The gravel road had long stretches of washboard that rattled the van and its occupants, even at walking speeds!

Once we safely made it into the park, we got ourselves oriented at the visitor's center and headed out to look at the ruins. Our first stop, at the recommendation of the ranger we talked to was Casa Rinconada and its Great Kiva. This area included a number of smaller structures, which were clustered around the Great Kiva. The Kiva and three of the smaller structures were excavated, but many others remained buried beneath the desert.

After finishing our self-guided tour of that site, we made our way back around the park's loop drive to Pueblo Bonito, a 700 room great house. We arrived just in time for a guided tour with a park ranger. It was fascinating to learn about the culture of the ancestral pueblo people who built these amazing structures, but it was clear that there was much that was still unknown about these structures, their uses and the people who built and used them. Pueblo Bonito was immense, with a maze of rooms that would be easy to get lost in. These are some of the oldest Pueblo structures known, and there are a number of indicators of some relationship with the Mezo-americans in Central America.

It wasn't easy to get to, but the experience was well worth the effort.