Archive of Past Programs

Note: This program is no longer available. Please see Domestic Trips and International Trips for currently available programs.

Archaeology and Oral Histories of Chaco Canyon
Perspectives on the Past

A Learning Vacation in Northwestern New Mexico

Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico remains the focus of one of the Southwest's most puzzling mysteries and liveliest archaeological debates. Though scientifically studied for more than 100 years and referred to in the oral histories of Pueblo and Navajo people, Chaco remains an enigma.

Weigh archaeological and American Indian perspectives as you visit "downtown" Chaco, including the great houses of Pueblo Bonito and Chetro Ketl, and the Casa Rinconada community with its great kiva. Hike to the backcountry great house of Tsin Kletsin, which is in direct line of site of other major structures at Chaco. Explore Kin Klizhin and Kin Bineola, great houses located 10 to 12 miles away from downtown Chaco and most likely established to take advantage of the farming potential of the outlying valleys. Piece together the beginnings of Chaco influence as you hike short distances to Chaco outliers on the Great North Road.

Cultural Travel with an Educational Focus

Compare archaeological interpretations of the "Chaco Phenomenon" and ancestral Pueblo life

Discover oral histories and traditional knowledge about Chaco Canyon and the deep connections that today's Pueblo and Navajo people feel for its dramatic landscape and architectural marvels

Appreciate the irreplaceable nature of archaeological sites and artifacts and the importance of cultural resource preservation and environmental stewardship

Tour with Chaco Scholars and Experts

Dr. R. Gwinn Vivian, curator emeritus, Arizona State Museum, grew up in Chaco Canyon, where he developed an understanding of the region that shaped his professional theories. Gwinn continues to investigate the Chaco era and publish results from his many decades of research there.

Dr. Tessie Naranjo holds a Ph.D. in sociology and was raised traditionally at the Tewa Pueblo of Santa Clara. She serves on several boards of directors for important cultural institutions throughout the United States and is codirector of the Northern Pueblos Institute in Espanola, New Mexico.

A representative of the Navajo Nation Traditional Cultural Program will also be speaking to the group.

Trip Dates and Cost

Sunday, May 4–Saturday, May 10, 2008
Tuition: $1,888; Nonmember tuition: $1,988
Deposit: $400
Balance due: March 4, 2008

Trip Itinerary

Sunday, May 4: Arrival Farmington

Arrive in Farmington. Welcome dinner and introductions. (D)

Monday, May 5: Una Vida • Hungo Pavi • Pueblo Bonito • Petroglyph Trail

View two of Chaco's "smaller" great houses—Una Vida and Hungo Pavi—before entering massive Pueblo Bonito, a D-shaped complex that stood four stories high with 40 kivas and 600 to 700 rooms. Walk along Petroglyph Trail to examine ancient images decorating the canyon wall. Through time, early residents of Chaco carved petroglyphs and painted pictographs on soft sandstone surfaces and rock boulders. Later travelers and occupants—Spaniards, Euro-Americans, U.S. soldiers, Hispanic sheepherders, and others—left historic inscriptions and drawings. Enjoy a hearty cookout dinner at the campground and sleep under Chaco's famous night skies. Overnight at camp. (B, L, D)

Tuesday, May 6: Chetro Ketl • Casa Rinconada • Tsin Kletsin

Explore the great house of Chetro Ketl with its unusual colonnade. View the isolated great kiva Casa Rinconada, and visit its nearby community of small house sites—masonry pueblos built at the same time as Chacoan great houses, but with differing architecture. Hike out to Tsin Kletsin, where six other great houses are visible on distant horizons. Consider its location as a possible signaling station. At Chaco's excellent visitors' center, examine the collections, and linger in the extensive bookstore. Return to the campground for dinner and an evening talk around the fire. Overnight at camp. (B, L, D)

Wednesday, May 7: Kin Klizhin • Kin Bineola • Dogleg Dam • Teardrop Mesa • Lake Valley

Take the remote back roads to two Chaco outliers, the great houses of Kin Klizhin and Kin Bineola. Explore the remnants of water-control features visible at Dogleg Dam and Teardrop Mesa. Tour the Lake Valley outlier, seldom visited even by dedicated Chacophiles. Return to Farmington for a hot shower and soft bed. Overnight Farmington. (B, L, D)

Thursday, May 8: Pierre's Ruin • Great North Road Sites • Twin Angels

Hike through scattered petrified wood to Pierre's Ruin, an outlier situated on the Great North Road. Explore the "Acropolis," where roomblocks and kivas are dramatically perched atop a small mesa, and "El Faro," probably a signaling location. Visit the Twin Angels outlier site, located on the rim of Kutz Canyon. Overnight Farmington. (B, L, D)

Friday, May 9: San Juan River Sites • Salmon Ruins • Aztec Ruins

Explore massive, rarely visited sites along the south bank of the San Juan River and consider the question: Did ancestral Pueblo farmers use river irrigation? Visit Salmon Ruins, an eleventh-century Chaco great house. See Aztec Ruins, where masonry walls still stand more than 30 feet high. Occupied from the A.D. 1100s to 1200s, Aztec may have succeeded Chaco as a major community center. Overnight Farmington. (B, L, D)

Saturday, May 10: Farmington

Departures may be scheduled at any time. (B)

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.

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 4 until your departure from Farmington on May 10. Transportation to and from Farmington is your responsibility.

Travel Costs: Travel costs to Farmington on May 4 and from Farmington on May 10 are not included. For assistance making arrangements, we recommend Travel Management, Inc., in Post Falls, Idaho. E-mail crow@tmitravel.net, or call 800.975.7775 and ask for the Crow Canyon representative. Or, you are welcome to make your own arrangements.

Accommodations: Two nights are spent camping; four nights are in a hotel. Shared accommodations are double occupancy. Single accommodations are available for an additional fee of $243.

Group Size: A minimum number of participants is required for each trip. If this minimum is not reached by the final payment date, you may be offered several options: pay a slightly higher program price, select another program, or receive a full refund. If Crow Canyon cancels a trip extension for which you are booked, and you elect to cancel your main trip, you are still subject to the cancellation penalties as described in this policy. Please contact us to check program status prior to making your travel arrangements.

Hiking and Camping

Hikes are less than 2 miles round trip. Some hikes are on uneven terrain, sometimes without trails, at elevations of more than 5,000 feet. Occasionally, it might be necessary to scramble up rocky slopes to closely examine sites and rock art panels. All site visits require standing for approximately 30 minutes or more at a time (during on-site lectures). Our pace is leisurely and assistance is given, but you must be in reasonably good physical condition. Expect drives on rough back roads. Two nights are spent camping in the campground.

Crow Canyon is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to conduct archaeological research and public education programs. Crow Canyon is nationally recognized for the quality of its archaeological research and education programs.

The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center's programs and admission practices are open to applicants of any race, color, nationality, ethnic origin, gender, or sexual orientation.

Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California
CST 2059347-50

Copyright © 2007 by Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. All rights reserved.