Adventures Online: Chaco Canyon & the Mysteries of the Stars

Activity note: All times noted are Eastern Time. Today’s online session will begin at 11:00 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m.

Morning: 11:00 a.m. Welcome (30 minutes). We will gather with our Study Leader for an orientation and overview of the program with “housekeeping” information and Zoom instructions. 11:30 a.m. Lecture (90 minutes). One important aspect of the Greater Chacoan World has been the network of communities that existed throughout the Four Corners region where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. We will learn about the importance of these communities and how they inform what we know about the Chacoans. UNESCO has designated Chaco culture as part of the world’s heritage. From the UNESCO inscription: “For over 2,000 years, Pueblo peoples occupied a vast region of the south-western United States. Chaco Canyon, a major centre of ancestral Pueblo culture between 850 and 1250, was a focus for ceremonials, trade and political activity for the prehistoric Four Corners area. Chaco is remarkable for its monumental public and ceremonial buildings and its distinctive architecture – it has an ancient urban ceremonial center that is unlike anything constructed before or since.”

Afternoon: 1:00 p.m. Break (15 minutes). 1:15 p.m. Lecture (60 minutes). Our next lecture will discuss architectural development in Chaco Canyon. We’ll learn how the Chacoan people constructed their communities in accordance with astronomical alignments and the seasons. 2:15 p.m. Wrap-up with Q&A (15 minutes). 2:30 p.m. Today’s online session ends.

Activity note: All times noted are Eastern Time. Today’s session will begin at 11:00 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m.

Morning: 11:00 a.m. Lecture (75 minutes). Archaeoastronomy is the scientific study of memorials and interpretations left by those around the world who studied the night skies before telescopes were made. During this introductory lecture, we’ll ask why ancient Pueblo people felt the need to study the movement of the planets, sun, and moon; and how they recorded their observations.

Afternoon: 12:15 p.m.. Break (15 minutes). 12:30 p.m. Lecture (75 minutes). Next, we’ll learn about the Chacoan Roads. More than 400 miles of roads have been discovered within Chaco Canyon and leading out from it. We’ll learn how the Chaco people built these roads and possible reasons why. From the National Park Service: “One of the most remarkable aspects of Chaco Culture, at least from a modern perspective, is the extensive system of finely engineered roads both within the canyon and extending out a considerable distance to the outlying sites throughout the San Juan Basin and beyond. These roads are remarkably wide, straight, and carefully constructed.” 1:45 p.m. Wrap-up with Q&A (45 minutes). 2:30 p.m. Today’s online session ends.

Activity note: All times noted are Eastern Time. Today’s session will begin at 11:00 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m.

Morning: 11:00 a.m. Lecture (75 minutes). There are many Chaco Canyon mysteries. Its very existence has baffled scientists for decades. Why build a huge, complex society in a remote canyon with limited natural resources? We’ll examine these and other questions.

Afternoon: 12:15 Noon. Break (15 minutes). 12:30 p.m. Panel presentation (90 minutes). We’ll hear from Rich Friedman, Anna Sofaer, and Rob Weiner, experts with the Solstice Project that studies the rich astronomical heritage of the ancient Chaco culture. We’ll learn more about how the Chaco culture’s ceremonial architecture was built to align with the cycles of the sun and moon and more. 2:00 p.m. Wrap-up with Q&A (30 minutes) and farewells. 2:30 p.m. This concludes our program.