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Chaco Canyon: Archaeology and Navajo Connections

A Learning Vacation in New Mexico
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The sweeping desert and sandstone canyons of Chaco Canyon have been home to people for millennia—ancient structures on mesa tops and in canyon bottoms attest to the remarkable culture that thrived here, reaching its peak in the eleventh century A.D. Although archaeological evidence indicates that the great houses and great kivas at Chaco were built by the ancestors of today's Pueblo people centuries before the arrival of the Navajo in the Southwest, the Navajo themselves have their own view.

During this exploration of the enigmatic Chaco society, we join archaeologist Dr. Gwinn Vivian and Navajo archaeologist Richard Begay to debate the question, who were the early inhabitants of Chaco Canyon? We visit great houses, great kivas, and outlier sites and learn how Navajo legends connect the ancient villages of Chaco to Navajo life, origins, culture, and ceremony.

Trip Scholars: Dr. R. Gwinn Vivian and Richard Begay

Dr. R. Gwinn Vivian, curator emeritus of the Arizona State Museum, grew up in Chaco Canyon, where he developed an understanding of the region that shaped his professional theories. Gwinn conducted extensive research on sites in the Chaco world and wrote his master's thesis on more-recent Navajo sites in Chaco Canyon and on Chacra Mesa.

Richard Begay is a Navajo tribal member, archaeologist, and articulate voice for current and historical Navajo viewpoints. He has many years' experience as a field archaeologist and ethnologist for various projects on the Navajo Reservation. Richard's maternal grandfather's clan and great-grandmother's father trace their roots to Chaco.

Educational Focus

Archaeological and Navajo interpretations of the "Chaco phenomenon"

The Navajo oral histories and traditional knowledge that tie today's Navajo people to the dramatic landscape and architectural marvels of Chaco Canyon

How traditional knowledge complements archaeological research in the process of learning about the past

Trip Dates and Cost

Dates: Sunday, May 10–Saturday, May 16, 2009

Tuition: Donor* $1,895; Nondonor: $2,020

Deposit: $400

Balance due: March 10, 2009

Daily Trip Itinerary

Sunday, May 10: Farmington • Introduction

We arrive in Farmington, New Mexico, for introductions and dinner, followed by an overview of the week ahead. Overnight Farmington. (D)

Monday, May 11: Una Vida • Hungo Pavi • Kin Kletso • Pueblo Bonito

We drive to Chaco Canyon and begin our exploration of "downtown," visiting three of Chaco's lesser great houses—Una Vida, Hungo Pavi, and Kin Kletso—before arriving at Pueblo Bonito, a massive D-shaped complex that stood four stories high and contained 40 kivas and 600 to 700 rooms. At Chaco's excellent visitors center, we examine the collections and linger in the extensive bookstore before setting up our camp for the next two nights. We enjoy a delicious camp dinner under the stars. Overnight camp at Chaco Campground or Ruby Ranch. (B, L, D)

Tuesday, May 12: Navajo Sites and Rock Art • Chetro Ketl • Casa Rinconada

Today we explore the canyon bottom for early Navajo sites and search the boulders and cliffs for Navajo rock art images. At the great house of Chetro Ketl, we hear the story of the "Great Gambler." On the south side of the canyon, we view the isolated great kiva Casa Rinconada and its nearby community of small houses that were built at the same time as the Chacoan great houses, but in a different architectural style. Overnight camp at Chaco Campground or Ruby Ranch. (B, L, D)

Wednesday, May 13: Pueblo Pintado • Kin Ya'a • Navajo Refugee Site

We drive along Chacra Mesa and through Pintado Pass, a geological feature that funneled rain to the fields of the people of Pueblo Pintado, a great house at the head of Chaco Canyon. After our visit to Pueblo Pintado, we explore a rectangular building with at least 35 rooms and four kivas at Kin Ya'a (Navajo for "tall house"), which is linked to Chaco Canyon by the South Road. Richard explains his family's historical links to Kin Ya'a. At an early eighteenth-century "Navajo-refugee" site on Chacra Mesa, we learn more about this important time in Navajo history before heading back to soft beds and hot showers in Farmington. Overnight in Farmington. (B, L)

Thursday, May 14: Pierre's Ruin • Acropolis • El Faro • Twin Angels

Today we take a hike through scattered petrified wood to Pierre's Ruin, an outlier situated on the great North Road. We explore the "Acropolis," where roomblocks and kivas perch dramatically atop a small mesa. At the pinnacle of El Faro, we consider whether evidence of a hearth indicates that the site was used as a signaling location. We visit the Twin Angels outlier site, located on the rim of Kutz Canyon. Overnight in Farmington. (B, L, D)

Friday, May 15: San Juan River Sites • Aztec Ruins

On a private ranch, we explore massive, rarely visited sites along the south bank of the San Juan River and examine rock art images on the cliff faces. Richard shows us the Navajo agricultural projects that flourish as a result of extensive river-water irrigation, and we consider the question of whether ancient farmers also used river irrigation. We visit Aztec Ruins, occupied from the A.D. 1100s to 1200s, where masonry walls still stand more than 30 feet high. Many archaeologists believe Aztec may have succeeded Chaco as a major community center, although Navajo stories suggest that Aztec's inhabitants moved to Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon. We share our discoveries at our final dinner. Overnight Farmington. (B, L, D)

Saturday, May 16: Departures from Farmington

Departures can be scheduled anytime after breakfast. (B)

B = breakfast; L = lunch; D = dinner

Tour Details

General Itinerary: Begins and ends in Farmington, New Mexico. Travels to Chaco Culture National Historical Park and to archaeological sites in northwestern New Mexico. Plan to arrive in Farmington by 5 p.m., May 10. Schedule departure from Farmington anytime after breakfast on May 16.

Tuition: Tuition is per person and is based on shared accommodations. Tuition includes accommodations, meals listed, entry fees and permits, most gratuities, and transportation from arrival in Farmington on May 10, 2009, until departure from Farmington on May 16, 2009. Transportation to and from Farmington is your responsibility.

Accommodations: Two nights are spent camping; you may bring your own equipment or we will rent equipment for you at an additional cost. Four nights are spent in a hotel. Accommodations are based on double occupancy. Single accommodations are available for an additional fee of $250.

What to Expect: Hikes are less than 2 miles. Some are on uneven terrain, sometimes without trails, at elevations of more than 5000 feet. Occasionally, it might be necessary to scramble up rock slopes to closely examine sites and rock art panels. Most site visits require standing for 30 minutes or more at a time. Our pace is leisurely and assistance is given, but you must be in reasonably good physical condition. Expect drives on rough back roads.

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