In Aztec New Mexico there is a National Monument (part of the National Park system) misnamed ‘Aztec Ruins’. Misnamed because when ‘white’ Europeans came upon this place they thought, …’this used to be part of Mexico and the Aztecs came from Mexico so this must be those people. For this UNESCO World site, they could not have been more wrong. This large building was constructed by the Chaco people and has existed since the early 900s.
Last year we visited Greece. As we walked around that place of ancient civilization we kept thinking about how amazing it was to be standing on the same ground that the architects of these famous buildings stood. A thousand years ago this society thrived…for a while.
In less than an hour from our extended stay in Durango Colorado is the site of an ancient society, the Chacoans, who over 1,200 years ago constructed huge communities for their ancestors.
Inside a large community room called a ‘kiva’ “Chaco refers to a place—Chaco Canyon—and to an ancient Puebloan society that developed in that place. Chacoan society arose in an isolated canyon setting without highly visible resources. Chacoans developed ritual-ceremonial system that quickly spread across a large portion of the ancient Puebloan landscape.”“Chacoan leaders managed this society through a sophisticated sociopolitical organization, yet they were not coercive or oppressive. The success of Chacoan society rested primarily on its ability to promote a ritual means of keeping the ancient Pueblo world in balance.”“Chacoans’ “calling-card” across the ancient landscape was their amazing architecture. They built large multistory dwellings known as great houses. Standing up to 50 feet high, with massive three-foot-thick walls, these buildings were visible for miles across the landscape. Great houses incorporated tens of thousands of carefully shaped, tabular sandstone slabs and hundreds of beams of high-elevation wood (pine, spruce, and fir) that had been carried dozens of miles overland from source areas in the mountains.”“On January 24, 1923, President Warren G. Harding established Aztec Ruins National Monument to “…protect an exceptionally well-preserved great house community along the banks of the Animas River, and provide opportunities for greater understanding of the evolution of the Chacoan culture.” In 1987, Aztec Ruins was designated as a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site alongside Chaco Culture National Historical Park and 5 other prominent Chacoan sites managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Though Aztec Ruins National Monument is a relatively small monument, totaling roughly 318 acres, it’s significance to archaeologists, preservationists, visitors, and most importantly, descendants is undeniable. Aztec Ruins is a deeply special place, with some of the best-preserved Chacoan structures of its kind.”The Ancestral Pueblo people used this site for over 200 years. “In its heyday, it contained several multi-story ‘great houses’ – including one which had 500 rooms – as well as plenty of smaller structures. “It was fascinating to fly to a different continent to experience history. And it is just as interesting to learn that at the same time as those societies were building and constructing communities, our own continent was alive with people and amazing activity.
deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.) 
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