We've heard about Chaco Canyon many times before as the Center of the Chacoan world or Ancient Puebloan peoples but had never visited it before. Once we got to Gallup, New Mexico, we went to see it.

It was 98 miles each way. The last 20 miles was a dirt road! No wonder very few people visit it.



Pueblo Bonito is the most thoroughly investigated and celebrated cultural site in Chaco Canyon. Planned and constructed in stages between AD 850 to AD 1150 by ancestral Puebloan peoples, this was the center of the Chacoan world. That world eventually covered a vast area of the present-day Southwest, including the San Juan Basin of New Mexico, and portions of Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. For over 300 years, Chacoan Culture united many diverse peoples within its sphere of influence.

from: http://www.nps.gov/chcu/planyourvisit/pueblo-bonito.htm
 
The trip over the dirt road was worth it. The canyon has a 9-mile loop drive with at least 9 places to get out and visit the ruins.

Pueblo Bonito had over 600 rooms when it was done. We walked around for over 2 hours through the rooms and looking in to the kivas. Here's what it might've looked like after hundreds of years of construction.

 

And some aerial views to show how large it was. Notice the rock slide in the upper right. In 1941, after heavy rain, the cliff face collapsed on the Pueblo.

 

So then we walked around and took over 135 photos. Here's a few....






 
 
And...of course, some flowers....

 
 
More Chaco Canyon photos can be found here....https://picasaweb.google.com/100376105788369441882/ChacoCanyon?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Video of the Pueblo Bonito is here....
https://youtu.be/ZyOACSnC_XE

There's been books galore written about this place so I won't even try to explain all the cultural significance to the construction of the rooms, kivas and common areas. For the curious...here's a couple of good starting places.

http://www.nps.gov/chcu/index.htm
http://www.nps.gov/chcu/faqs.htm