Chaco Cultural National Historical Park and Aztec Ruins National Monument are preserves and a major centers of Ancestral Pueblo culture, dating between 850 and 1250CE. Today Chaco Canyon seems to be in the middle of nowhere; however, 1,000 years ago, this was the Center Place for the American Pueblo people, the middle of everything!

Buried for hundreds of years under wind-blown sands, the monumental complexes they constructed were occupied for several centuries and ultimately left behind whisper echoes from the past of a complex and sophisticated society continued by their descendants today. This presentation takes us into the lives of the Ancestral pueblo people of Northwest New Mexico. We’ll look at the largest man-made structures in North America (up until the mid-1800s), examine the mysteries of the Chaco roads and explore the solar and lunar alignments built into these monumental structures.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Dave Meyers at NPS is a Park Guide at Aztec Ruins National Monument. Dave has a Master’s in Museum Studies, and a BS in History, and has been living in the Four Corners area of the country since 1997.

This program is offered in partnership with the Rockport Public Library and other MA libraries