Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, United States
Life is not a continuum of pleasant choices but of inevitable problems that call for strength, determination, and hard work.
—Native American proverb
In Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico stand the ruins of an Anasazi (Pueblo) cultural center that flourished from A.D. 850 to 1250. Although no one knows why the Anasazi left, all Southwest Indian tribes trace their ancestral roots to Chaco Canyon and consider it sacred. That the Chacoan people were able to build this highly advanced community and to thrive in this harsh environment for at least four hundred years is a testament to their fortitude.
To fortify your spirit, take a day trip from Farmington, New Mexico (the nearest city), to Chaco Canyon. Allow at least two hours to drive to and from this remote location and several hours to explore the vast ruins. Bring a picnic and water, and make sure to follow the advice given on the United States National Park Service website: www.nps.gov/chcu/planyourvisit.
Drive or bike the 9-mile paved loop, taking time to explore the guided trails of the five major Chacoan sites. Listen to the whispers of the ancients carried on the wind, offering encouragement or perhaps a solution to your problem.
This sacred gathering place for the Anasazi included fifteen complexes (great houses)—some several stories high, with hundreds of apartments (rooms) and dozens of kivas (circular ceremonial structures)—designed for celestial alignment and built from quarried sandstone and timber hauled from up to 70 miles away.