Chaco Culture National Historical Park, National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico, US.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a historical park in northwestern New Mexico preserving ancient stone complexes in the desert. The ruins reveal multi-story residential blocks, round ceremonial chambers called kivas, and connecting pathways extending across the dry terrain.
Between the 9th and 12th centuries, the ancestors of Pueblo peoples erected sprawling structures from local sandstone here. The complex lost its central function after a drought period around 1150 and was abandoned by its inhabitants.
The name Chaco comes from the Navajo language and refers to the dry river bed running through this area. Visitors today witness the ongoing connection of descendant communities through ceremonies and pilgrimages to these grounds.
Access requires unpaved roads that become impassable during rain. Most walking routes begin at the canyon floor and lead between the stone ruins, making sturdy footwear necessary.
The walls of some chambers still show traces of mineral pigments applied to the plaster back then. Some large rooms possess acoustics that make whispers audible across several meters.
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