People and Place

People and Place. The Wondrous Culture and Landscape of Chimney Rock National Monument. Questions Unanswered , A thousand years ago, a civilization flourished here. What pulled people here , and why did they leave after 200 years?, Why did they build so high above the fields in the valley, the water, and other resources? Did they leave due to drought or resource depletion? Was there a collapse of the cultural belief system or social hierarchy? Or, according to Pueblo traditions of migration, was it simply time to go?, The Chaco Connection , One of the most intriguing theories about Chimney Rock is that it was part of a larger and remarkable regional network of communities centered at Chaco Canyon (nearly 90 miles southwest in New Mexico) that blossomed across the southwest-a theory supported by architectural and artifact similarities. It has been called the "ultimate outlier” in recognition that it embodies many of the Chacoan design, construction, and setting ideals., Sky Wisdom , Chimney Rock is a recognized archaeoastronomy resource in North America that illustrates the ancestral Puebloans' knowledge and use of astronomy in their lives. Evidence suggests they may have adopted rituals based on celestial events such as solstices and equinoxes. An especially important astronomical event, the Northern Major Lunar Standstill, happens every 18.6 years when the moon rises between the two pinnacles as seen from the Great House., At Chimney Rock, geology, astronomy, archaeology, and living cultures intersect, bringing people together across time in a sense of wonder., Captions , Left: Descendants of the ancestral Puebloans return to this place of cultural continuity for celebrations and traditional purposes. (Photo courtesy of Chimney Rock Interpretive Association.) , Center: The Chacoan-style Great House is the most significant ancestral Puebloan structure on the mesa, as well as an extraordinary engineering feat. It is one of 200 structures and 167 sites within Chimney Rock National Monument. Peregrine falcons , once an endangered species , now nest on the pinnacles. , Right: Archaeoastronomy is the study of the knowledge and practices of ancient cultures regarding sky phenomena. (Photo courtesy of Howard Rowe.)