Chaco Culture NHP, Monday 7/6/26

 

Chaco Canyon has to be a destination, in my opinion.  It's located in a remote area of Northwest New Mexico, and it isn't easy to get there.  But it's worth it:  This gem contains the most sweeping collection of ancient ruins north of Mexico; Chaco Canyon was a major cultural center.  Neither of us had any idea of its size, which isn't a surprise -- we thought Petra in Jordan was one building.  Learning all the time!

The very beginning and ending of the 21-mile road (off the main highway) to the park were paved, but the rest of it -- 16 miles -- was slow and excruciating for Smartie (and us!), above.  We were staying in Bloomfield NM and the entire distance to Chaco Canyon was 60-miles, +/-. 

The reason we'd stopped (photo above this one) was so I could pay a personal call to Bossie here.  I told her I admired her red and yellow earrings.

We kept our eyes on this huge stand-alone landmark, which we could see for miles, believing it would mark the entrance to the canyon.  And it did.

In 1966 Chao Culture was designated a National Historic Park, and in 1987 it joined the select list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  We were grateful to be here.

The first step in a place like this is to stop in the Visitor Center, as there's always a wealth of extra information and the rangers can share their insights as to what to see and where to go.  Above, is the layout of Pueblo Bonito, and how it looked at different stages. 

Nowadays people wonder why a site was abandoned, why a population just disappeared.  Perhaps they left to find a better home elsewhere.

We set out on the 9-mile Canyon Loop drive.  Awe was our first impression.

Please read this.  Enlarge it if you need to.

One hundred thousand tons ...

We got an early start, we really did, but the trip took more time than we thought, so the day was already on slow broil by the time we started touring the pueblos (on our own). Truly, these ruins took our breath away. I'll share a few photos, but you have to see this area to believe it.

In all the pueblos we've visited, this kiva is the largest we've seen.

On a pathway, with ruins to my left and my right.

It's difficult to convey how much has been uncovered and restored, the scope of Chaco Culture.  

I can tell you that Pueblo Bonita was the core of Chaco and the largest great house.  It was built in stages between the mid-800's and early 1100's.  Pueblo Bonita reached at least four stories (!) with over 600 rooms and 40 kivas.  That in itself is amazing.

On January 22, 1941, the collapse of a massive sandstone slab called Threatening Rock rained large boulders on Pueblo Bonito. This 30,000‑ton block, about 100 feet high, had been leaning precariously over the pueblo for centuries.  It crushed 30-60 rooms, filling rooms with debris.  Jimmy stands beside one of those HUGE boulders.  Read more here:

 

The round holes held stabilization logs.  Some remnants are visible.  We marveled at all the work, of collecting and shaping and piling one stone atop another to make buildings.

Sitting at a picnic table in the shade of a ramada, we were entertained by these two -- an Antelope Squirrel (Harris'?) and a Canyon Towhee.  Four pics of the same two critters begging for a handout.  Jimmy couldn't resist the temptation.  Lunch was yummy with fresh farmers market peaches and our usual PB&J, plus Gatorade.  It was a nice break from the scorching sun.

A short distance away, Pueblo del Arroyo was planned and constructed in two short stages and, still, it was big.

Impressive!

We climbed several short steep rises.

Looking down into the kivas, etc.

I copied this map from the park service brochure.  Perhaps this will give you a better idea of the canyon.  The red line is the paved loop.  Enlarge to read it better.

No one really knows why the ancients picked Chaco Canyon as a hub of regional cultures.  Maybe the weather was kinder 1,100-1,200 years ago, but the winters here are long with a short growing season, the summers are brutal, and rainfall is "marginal."  Nevertheless, the native people made this high desert valley the "center of their world."

From the brochure:  They created monumental architecture and developed far-reaching commerce and a complex social organization.

We reluctantly left, as the heat had become overwhelming, yet there was so much we didn't see today.  Someday we'd like to return for more exploration, with lots of trails to hike, petroglyphs to study, and many more pueblos to look into.  But not in summer.

I took the above two pics on our way back to the main road.  The horses weren't fenced in and looked wild and healthy.  They weren't afraid of me, even with two foals in their midst.

So, that was our day at Chaco Canyon.  Another long day for us, but a good way to spend a day!  This was the last adventure on our nonexistent bucket list.  We've done all we wanted to do this week-plus in New Mexico.  Tomorrow we'll pull out and point Tergel's nose toward the west.  California, here we come.

Mission Concepción, Wed, 3/13/19

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña (Mission Concepción) is another beauty, and it was our fourth mission to visit on this two-day trip.

Mission Concepción is the oldest, best-preserved stone church in the United States. Its overall design is in the shape of a crucifix, and the vaulted roof has a dome. Two identical bell towers mark the entrance.  On the day we visited, seismologists were examining the church's walls for stability and/or movement; hence, you see the Genie (above) sort of marring my photo!  The walls of limestone are four feet thick, but the church retains the highest level of original colonial-era materials of any of the mission churches and is in very good condition overall.

This handsome stone church took about 15 years to build, and was dedicated in 1755. It appears very much today as it did over two centuries ago. Due to the fact that it was built directly on bedrock, it never lost its roof, or its integrity. It remains the least restored of the colonial structures within the Park.

Very little is known about the Franciscan friars and their role in the establishment of 18th century San Antonio. The surviving records fall short of revealing a true narrative of life in the Missions, either for the indigenous people that provided the labor to build them, or the Spaniards who brought their government and religion with them.  Or, more especially ...

... how the Franciscans could build a church that aligns precisely every year at 6:30pm on August 15th -- the Feast of the Assumption of Mary -- with a rare double illumination.  As the late summer sun arcs across the horizon, rays of light will pass through two windows on the mission’s western wall, one illuminating the face of Mary, as she is depicted in the painting of the Immaculate Conception that hangs behind the altar on the sanctuary wall (above).  At the same moment the face of Mary is illuminated, a second ray of light will illuminate the sanctuary floor at its center below the dome. As Jimmy and I entered the church, a docent was talking to two tourists about this double solar illumination.  We sat down in a pew and listened, and his audience grew.  He spoke so eloquently.  I discovered the photo below posted on the church bulletin board.  Jimmy and I found the whole subject fascinating.

Every year, hundreds of people of all faiths flock to witness this extraordinary spectacle. “Life was so harsh in 1731 when the mission was first planned, it really is a miracle that the people back then were able to survive, to design and build the missions, and to engineer this double solar illumination."

I know I've used the word unrestored or the like more than once, but park brochures and links stress it:  that Mission Concepción is the oldest unrestored stone church in America. In its heyday, colorful geometric designs covered its surface, but the patterns have long since faded or been worn away.  As you see, the roof is vaulted with a dome, and it is unretouched.  And, per above, recent research is suggesting a deliberate placement of windows to illuminate the main altar on specific feast days.

Monitoring crack movement.

Still amazed by what we learned at Mission Concepción, Jimmy and I strolled the grounds, stopping at this grotto to sit for a minute before going on to our next course of action, which was to be determined.  Meaning, what next?  It was a very warm day, after a cool morning start, and wearing jeans was a mistake on my part, but at least my feet were cool/ish in my sandals.  Four missions in two days have left us feeling thoroughly steeped in history.  I haven't mentioned a word about what religion did to the native population, and I won't now.  We were here to appreciate the beauty we saw.

More Missions, Wed, 3-11-19

Jimmy and I have both "done" San Antonio's famous River Walk, though at different times and with different people, so we weren't keen on redoing any part of that scene.  We were pleased, however, to learn the River Walk extended to the missions, which we could easily access from our site at Stinson Field.  We needed Smartie to visit both San José and Concepción missions, as they weren't within walking distance.  First:  Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo, founded on Feb 23rd, 1720 --

San José, as it became known, is the largest of the five missions.  Believe it or not, it was almost completely restored to its original design by the WPA in the 1930's.  At its height, the community contained about 350 Indian neophytes, sustained by extensive fields and herds of livestock. Viewed as the model among the Texas missions, San José gained a reputation as a major social and cultural center. It became known as the "Queen of the Missions," for its imposing complex of stone walls, bastions, granary. The magnificent church was completed by 1782.

Jimmy at one of the (what would have been) gated mission entrances.

Gorgeous yucca blossoms highlight the mission church.

I'd heard and read about Rosa's window and it is as beautiful as it's been described:  La Ventana de Rosa, the Rose Window.  There's a lot of speculation about the window, sculpted in 1775.  It's been the object of both legend and admiration and is considered one of the finest examples of baroque architecture in North America. The meaning behind the name is currently unknown, but legend has it named for Rosa, the betrothed of Juan Huizar who many believe created the window.  It did seem odd being placed on the church's south wall.

Jimmy, left, stands outside the church's main entrance.  Apparently our visit coincided with spring break week and lots of young people and parents with children were paying a visit to the missions, but we didn't encounter any crowding.  We liked seeing families Out and About together.

A most beauteous sanctuary.

Outside the north wall of Mission San José, next to the acequia that supplies its power, stands a gristmill. Built around 1794, this mill was the only water-powered mill in the area during the Spanish colonial period.  The Indians, with their corn-based diets, were slow to move from corn to wheat.  It was operational from 1794-1809, and restored in 2001.

A heavy outer wall was built around the main part of the mission, and "rooms" for 350 Indians were built into the walls.

Above, is my photo of an outdoor picture showing how the church was decorated centuries ago. Below is a (smidgen) reproduction of those fresco paintings that once covered the entire outer walls of the church.  It would have been stunning!

This dimly-lit area was an inside storage warehouse and granary.  You see the walls retain some decoration.

I discovered this little poem on one of the signboards.

I thought it significant for the mission we were touring.

Mission San José has become a lasting symbol throughout the centuries for the Spanish mission frontier in Texas. Indeed, these missions paved the way for the future city of San Antonio. Of course, descendants from the mission era reside in the area and maybe some attend the church, which continues to hold regular masses for the faithful in English and Spanish.

Missions - Tues afternoon, 3/12/2019

All we had to do was follow the "brown signs" (or tourist signs) to find the first mission we'd visit today.  Funny how you come into a region not knowing a whole lot about it ... it's just an overnight stop, doncha know, and then you discover there's much to see and do.  I suppose that's true of many areas in this ol' world.  The most I knew about Texas is it's wet in the East, dry in the West, swampy in the south, and if you're traveling I-10, it goes on forever!  Plus bad weather can strike any of these locales at any time!  Kidding, kind of ....

The Alamo was originally known as the Misión San Antonio de Valero, one of a chain of missions along the San Antonio River, but most people remember the Alamo as the site of a battle.  Four other missions from the 1700's survive the centuries, all of them in better shape than the Alamo.  The missions are a reminder of one of Spain's most successful attempts to extend its dominion northward from present-day Mexico.  (Collectively they form the largest concentration of Catholic missions in North America.)  Yet, neither Jimmy nor I knew they existed till today.  And each is close by Stinson Field (our Harvest Host site).  We've gone to several of California's Catholic missions and found them to be peaceful places, spiritual in feeling, never mind their aggressive pasts.  That feeling held true today. 

The old mission churches remain much the same, though some have faced necessary and benefited by TLC/restoration.  Espada church, above, was completed in 1756, and retains a singularly attractive appeal.  The façade, with its curious door, is original.

Simple.  Humble.  Tranquil.

The National Park Service has provided good informational signs about the ruins.  Some are the remains of a newer, bigger church that never got off the ground (so to speak), and the walls above were part of a school.

This radiant Redbud tree attests that spring is coming to San Antonio! 

From the mission, we drove a short distance to see the acequia.  Franciscan missionaries and their Indian followers built a dam, irrigation ditch, and aqueduct ... completed in 1740, the acequia diverted river water into an acequia madre (mother ditch). It's still in operation, still has water flowing in it, but now plays a secondary role beside a modern dam.  

Next we drove to Mission San Juan (seen in the background, above).  The church wasn't open (it was after 5pm), but we strolled the grounds, reading the signs and studying the designs and ruins.

The bells will peal, reminding the faithful.

Fragrant yuccas are blooming in San Antonio.  It's all but impossible for me to sniff a blossom, 'cause I'd be stabbed a hundred times by the sword-like leaves.  I'll leave you here.  For anyone who wants to read more about the missions, Google has plenty of info.  We returned to Tergel, fixed dinner, and enjoyed a quiet evening, windows wide open, waiting for rain.

But wait, will we see more missions tomorrow?