Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Chaco Culture National Historical Park preserves one of America's most significant and fascinating cultural and historic areas. Chaco Canyon was a major center of ancestral Puebloan culture between AD 850 and 1250. It was a hub of ceremony, trade, and administration for the prehistoric Four Corners area - unlike anything before or since. Chaco is remarkable for its monumental public and ceremonial buildings, and its distinctive architecture. To construct the buildings, along with the associated Chacoan roads, ramps, dams, and mounds, required a great deal of well organized and skillful planning, designing, resource gathering, and construction. The Chacoan people combined pre-planned architectural designs, astronomical alignments, geometry, landscaping, and engineering to create an ancient urban center of spectacular public architecture - one that still amazes and inspires us a thousand years later. The Chacoan cultural sites are fragile and irreplaceable and represent a significant part of America's cultural heritage. The sites are part of the sacred homeland of Pueblo Indian peoples of New Mexico, the Hopi Indians of Arizona, and the Navajo Indians of the Southwest, all of whom continue to respect and honor them. Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a very special place. Remote and isolated, it offers few amenities, so come prepared. You will find that the rewards are unlimited.IN DEPTH
Just For Kids Chaco is a great park for kids to learn about the treasures of the past and why it is important to preserve them. Children ages 4 to 12...read more
Frequently Asked Questions Q: What were the buildings used for? A: There are many theories which attempt to answer this question, but none are fully agreed upon. Our ideas of what...read more
Preservation Centennial Initiative 2016 In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016, America invites the world to discover the meaning of national parks to their...read more
In A Nutshell Directions From the north, turn off US 550 at CR 7900--3 miles southeast of Nageezi and approximately 50 miles west of Cuba (at mile 112.5). This route is clearly...read more
At A Glance Things To Know Before You Come Due to emergency repairs campsites will be reduced to 30 sites total until further notice! Please have alternative plans if the campground is...read more
Visitor Services Visitor Centers The Visitor Center at Chaco Culture National Historical Park is open all year from 8 a.m. to 5 p. m. There is a staffed information desk where...read more
Walking & Hiking Hiking Trails There are four backcountry hiking trails in Chaco Culture National Historical Park ranging from a relatively level 3 mile roundtrip hike to a trails over 7 miles...read more
Things To Do Places To Go Self-GuidedTours along the Canyon Loop Drive The majority of the park and cultural sites are self-guided year-round. Six major sites are located along the 9-mile long Canyon Loop...read more
Natural World Nature & Science Chaco Culture NHP is located near the geographic center of the San Juan Basin region of northwestern New Mexico and the adjacent four-corner states. In addition...read more
Camping Campgrounds Gallo Campground: Open Open All Year. Note: Due to emergency repairs campsites will be reduced to 35 sites total! Please have alternative plans if the campground is full. During this period we...read more
PARK PHOTOS
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National Park Service
RECENT NEWS
- Getting to Chaco Culture National Historical Park March 27, 2009
- A Book Like No Other November 6, 2008
- The trip of a lifetime: National Geographic takes notice of Chaco Canyon May 9, 2008
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