CHACO CULTURE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK - Uncovering the MYSTERY | Chaco Canyon, New Mexico

[@richardglady3009]

As a person in a wheelchair, thank you so much for visiting, documenting (with video) AND, most importantly, talking about what you are showing! Your video is great. Thank you so very much.

[@CactusAtlas]

You are so welcome! We're so happy to bring these things to you. 😊

[@lonniebrunner483]

I was blown away by the masonry. I'm a retired Mason it is truly amazing. Well worth going there.

[@CactusAtlas]

How cool! It's got to be really awesome to have the know-how about masonry and take a look at old structures like Chaco. We lack that knowledge but agree that it's pretty impressive. 😊

[@trumptorianguard4617]

The Spaniards were building masonry structures for hundreds of years before these structures were built.

[@lonniebrunner483]

Yes in-between killing every body in the name of God and gold. No wonder the old ones moved in to cliff dwellings.

[@LightOverdoZ]

I had a unique spiritual experience a year ago in this amazing place, Ancestors are present 🙏

[@CactusAtlas]

It's an amazing location and hard not to feel affected by it, regardless of one's spiritual beliefs. Just the enormity, craftsmanship, and dedication to it is awe inspiring! 😄

[@LightOverdoZ]

@@CactusAtlas absolutely

[@toadflax636]

The Conquistadors surely thought that in the 1500s, too.

[@LightOverdoZ]

@@toadflax636 🙏

[@tpseeker3367]

Loving this Longer format. Gotta say the longer I watch this the more I'm seeing so many comparison's to Göbekli Tepe. We can see that the cliff's have eroded & collapsed I wonder how many caves have never been found yet. The T doorways remind me of the T's at Göbekli Tepe. Thank You So much for everything you do Glenn & great editing as Always Amy .

[@CactusAtlas]

Always so interesting when you're able to compare and find similarities to places that span distance and time, isn't it? Don't think that the long format will be a common thing... just REALLY hard to condense a place as large as Chaco to a shorter form video. 😊

[@MM-yl9gn]

So glad to see I am not the only one noticing the comparison! I am completely awestruck by the similarities, especially other sites in the region like the reconstructed Great Kiva at Aztec National Monument or the partially buried ruins of the Salmon site looking shockingly similar to buried Karahan Tepe as well as all the other ancient networked sites in Turkey! It's deeply moving to even consider that these ancient people's share a cultural heritage...there are just too many instances of duality to deny that the roots of civilization extend much farther in time, cultural and spiritual practices remaining largely unchanged over thousands of years, especially now with new evidence that the ancient network within ancient Anatolia are seemingly derived from Ancient North Siberians and with the peopling of the Americas continually being pushed back further in time, where did it originate and how long ago? Such an incredible story. I can't wait to see it for myself!!

[@ericamorales8726]

@@MM-yl9gn those ancient civilizations were listed as closest ancient for Chaco canyon

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Great job! We spent about 2 weeks at Chaco and didn't see everything. Such an epic place!

[@CactusAtlas]

Whoa! Two weeks! That's incredible! 😲👍

[@daveb7999]

Thank you for the nice look around this beautiful, and momentous place, frozen in time.

[@natey9156]

AWESOME Video!!!! This is by far the best I've seen of this place! Good job!

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you! 😄

[@WillySmith-sd4em]

Great to see your Chaco canyon trip. I was born in Farmington NM in 1952. I worked all over that area of NM in the early 70's as a drilling fluids engineer in the oil and natural gas industry. That area of NM is covered in ruins. Really fascinating.

[@jool5941]

NM is beautiful. It gets a lot of bad PR

[@scottrobertson5639]

I was there day after christmas 2021 there was 3 people there it has been my favorite trip ill never regret or forget

[@CactusAtlas]

right on! there's nothing like it.

[@davidguerra5148]

Thank you for making this video! Amazing and beautiful place!

[@CactusAtlas]

Our pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it! 😄

[@SomasAcademy]

Great video, love seeing all these structures! One small correction, the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde, shown at ~15:06, were built AFTER the Chaco Canyon Great Houses had been abandoned, with the Chacoans moving to Mesa Verde after mysteriously abandoning Chaco, rather than the other way around. If you're interested in learning some more about the archaeology (and particularly the archeoastronomy) of this region, I have a video on my channel about the topic (I also talk about the purpose of those corner windows you point out!).

[@StanKindly]

Correct and it's on the same meridian (give or take a minute or two) like Casas Grande in Mexic6 and others.

[@coolvibes3663]

I saw this as a quick stop on another video, but I'm so glad I watched your video with all it's history. Now I can see how rewarding this would be to go see. Thanks for sharing and great job. cheers

[@CactusAtlas]

Awesome! Thank you! 😄

[@SomeplaceOrAnother]

It’s amazing 👍 to build those structures with minimal tool and materials 😎

[@CactusAtlas]

Well, they had plenty of material though. Some of it clearly wanted to be part of it so badly it fell. 😂

[@buckwheatsofia]

Amazing! Thank you for sharing.

[@CactusAtlas]

Our pleasure!

[@donbaker735]

Very interesting tour of Chaco Canyon, I passed up the opportunity to visit it on vacation. Now I wish I had stopped. The history amazes me. Great video, as always Many Thanks.

[@CactusAtlas]

Hopefully next time? 😄 Granted the drive in is not one for the faint of heart. It's not terrible or anything one needs an off road vehicle for, but it is certainly long and unpaved. 😅

[@jasonriley9677]

I heard stories from Navajo elders who shared a dark chilling history about this place. The chills you have come from the horrors that the elders spoke of, and this gives me even more faith that the elders history is that of a trustworthy and compelling case that the walls were built not to keep people out, but to trap people within as they are erriely similar to a corrall. I remember the elder explained how the site was meticulously situated between steep cliffs on either side and how those Kivas were slave pits, where sacrafical victims or prisoners were detained by the Anazasi, and closely observing the kivas you can recognize how difficult escaping would be. When taking these characteristics of the site into consideration, you can't imagine it a happy place. Another fact about the place are the anthropological finds indicating the practice of cannibalism.

[@sarahgriph4859]

Yes Anasazi were cannibals will be visiting the area next week...as a woman of Apache/Yaqui ancestry...I definitely will not go to such a place. I am extremely sensitive to the Spirits

[@jasonriley9677]

@@sarahgriph4859 Both the Apache and Yaqui were feared warriors that stood in the way of the expansion of authoritarian policies brought on by the United States government. We know much more about the Apache, but the Yaqui are shrouded in mystery. I'm a fan of the Yaqui shaman "Don Juan" in the many excerpts of Carlos Castaneda! I myself am of Choctaw ancestry from my grandpa, so I'm very curious about my native history.

[@davidhamilton8331]

This place has electromagnetic energy which affects sensitive people there is an immense amount of bad energy left behind by these people it's known as the crying and dying place. 43:53

[@LindaStoronsky-yk4df]

Carlos Castaneda has been exposed as a fraud I was. Very disappointed.

[@JoellHedges-dm1mu]

It is known as the “attack on indigenous people who lived and drank from spring that bubbled up”, at the 24:42 mark, before Satanist rode in, and “got rid” of everybody. Then cemented in the spring watering hole, like they did to Mount Rushmore 💦

[@SwiftyTravels]

Chaco canyon is such a magical place! I’ve only been there once and I was injured so I couldn’t get around much. I’ve been wanting to get back there and camp. It saddens me though to see all the natural gas refineries that are cropping up around Chaco. I hope they can keep it protected

[@CactusAtlas]

Oh no! Well I hope you get to visit again when you can fully explore. We might have a bit of info about camping there coming soon too. 😉

[@cdd4248]

It is my understanding there was more rainful during the time Chaco was at its height -making gainful farming more imaginable. PS- Loved the video - nice work!

[@CactusAtlas]

No doubts that climate has changed in areas over time affecting what we see now and what was then. Take a look at a place like Petrified Forest National Park... it's hard to imagine millions of years ago it being under water! Granted that is millions of years as opposed to centuries but it still blows my mind.

[@jool5941]

Apparently there was a drought and they over hunted the area, but others say it was a political change and war that forced them to leave. Dr.Steven Lekson has awesome presentations about Chaco on here.

[@mercedithcompala8148]

Absolutely amazing and spiritually beautiful ❤

[@jamesgibbs7933]

Great job showing us this historical treasure. Thanks!

[@CactusAtlas]

Our pleasure! It was fun doing it!

[@P.T.A.655]

This is the most interesting video. Can’t wait till you explore more here

[@CactusAtlas]

Oh, we'd LOVE to go back and explore more. To be honest, we really need to go back to New Mexico sometime soon. 😄

[@deanhoward4128]

I have seen parts of this site as a child & seen a lot of videos & information & it still fascinates me! For me it is the rectangular doors & windows & the size of structures! Recently archeologists have discovered some clay vessels that according to one of the archeologists has a residue of cocoa beans in them; they sent samples to the HERSHEY company in Pennsylvania & their labs confirmed that it is cocoa residue! The Anasazi evidently had hot chocolate on cold N.M. winter nights! How long did it take to build all those structures??? No wonder that N.M. is the Land of Enchantment!

[@CactusAtlas]

Fascinating! The beauty of that area seems ideal for sitting with a cup of hot cocoa in chilly evenings while admiring a hard day's work of constructing those amazing structures. Thanks for sharing! 😄

[@samsmom1491]

Just did a look-up on the wood and experts have determined that those trees came from the Zuni Mountains approximately 50 miles south of Chaco Canyon. That's an admirable feat to bring those logs, some of them quite large, such a long distance.

[@bondpaz]

I’ve never heard of this place but it is really cool! Crazy that it’s still standing. 😁👌🏽

[@CactusAtlas]

Really astonishing place! Enjoyed it a lot! 😄

[@johnhaug1747]

A sipapu (a Hopi word, Ancestral Puebloans) was a small hole or indentation in the floor of a kiva (pithouse). The sipapu symbolizes the portal through which their ancient ancestors first emerged to enter the present world.

[@deadheadprospector]

Nice video. The alternating of the stones from large to small is called banded masonry. It gives the wall much greater strength. Super advanced masonry technique for the time period.

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you! Very cool about the stones. Thanks for the info! 😄👍

[@rowdyryangames]

That was amazing, i am shocked that more people don't know about this! Beautiful shots as well. Thank you!!

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you very much! 😄

[@debbiephillips2013]

I'll be there July 4. Looking forward to it.

[@CactusAtlas]

Nice! I hope you have a tremendous time during your visit! 😄

[@areadinglight8465]

That's so interesting when looking into the dwelling "basement"; I was thinking, "ah, get out of there man, I don't think that's a good place to be..." then you remarked that it felt "eerie" and the hairs on your neck were alerting you--yeah energy can adhere to form, that place has vibes, sometimes it's best to stay away from a dark vortex like that. But still, we and I include myself are curious about history. It's possible that initially it was a garden sanctuary that was taken over at a later date by a people in a downward spiral. Thank you so much for sharing your video;

[@davidmay9138]

Was there 3-4x in the 80's & 90's as I lived in both Durango and Farmington. Watching your video brought back good memories. Back in the day there was almost a natural walk up to the top of the wall overlooking Pueblo Bonita . Got some great photos from this viewpoint. Walking on the top of the Mesa you could almost still see the indentations of the roads lead towards Aztec ( and also other roads believed to be trading routes back then as it was quite a cultural and trade center. Lastly, others watching probably don't have a sense of how remote this area really is. Great video 3/20/23

[@thedeafcattledog8608]

Ya probably not a good place to be LOL. They traded with the native Mexicans, not only goods, but also culture. It's probably verboten nowadays, but when my MiL was there in the 1950s they openly told them how there was evidence of human sacrifice and cannibalism. There's evidence of this all over the SW during certain periods. Now I'm pretty sure they won't even talk about it. I've read academic papers trying to disprove what's obvious, trying to contrive why there are cut and cooking marks on human bones, all sorts of excuses and hemming and hawing. It's bloody obnoxious, literally and figuratively. Heh. We're planning a trip there later this year. Gonna try to camp there and not to get too creeped out.

[@osheakurb2912]

Awesome video dude! I live 2 and half hours away from Chaco Canyon.. But I’m sure I’ll never get to visit this place… Thanks for showing an up close video!!

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you! Glad you liked our video and we could show you Chaco Canyon. 😄

[@osheakurb2912]

I wish! As a Native American I can’t go near this type of ancient structures!!

[@LightOverdoZ]

@@osheakurb2912 Do you mind to share with us the reasons that keeps you from not visiting this place? ✌️ Peace

[@thedeafcattledog8608]

@@LightOverdoZ bad mojo. Got more sense than the rest of us LOL

[@LightOverdoZ]

@@thedeafcattledog8608 I see you, Not if you show respect and walk in peace 🙏

[@santhoshlaxman123]

Great video and commentary!

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you kindly! 😄

[@carriemartz8952]

Thanks for sharing your tour of Chaco.. my husband and I were there many years ago.. there wasnt a ranger on site. You revealed some new insights to several things there. Thanks.. would love to be able to revisit, but age has advanced!!

[@CactusAtlas]

Glad you enjoyed it! It's our pleasure. 😊

[@rhondaenglish4022]

POWER THOUGHTS FOR ALL, OUR ANCESTORS NEED HER POWER PRAYERS. THANKYOU.

[@PeteKiefer]

Well done. 44:00 minute went by fast. That’s a sign of a good show. I have a feeling that the Kiva culture was to these people as the ancient amphitheaters where to classic Greece. In other words: SHOW TIME. There are seasons of the year when the work load is less and we have time to gather together and tell our stories. The Kiva was the theater, the stage for this. Just like Shakespeare playhouse in old London. Our stories unify us as a people, a culture, a community. You did a nice job on this video. I like your humility. Sincerely, Pete

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you so much! We're glad you enjoyed our video! 😄

[@shirleyrichards2514]

Awesome place. This for sharing. ☆♡☆

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you! 😊

[@lakefromeshippingcompany]

Thanks for this fascinating video! I'm sure the builders of that place never did anything without good reason. It's possible the significance and purpose of the site varied over time while it retained its overall importance.

[@CactusAtlas]

I imagine you are spot on with your statement. Given that it was built over generations, I would have to imagine that plans and reasons changed. And yes... everything there seemed to have some reason to it, even if it isn't immediately obvious. 😊

[@lakefromeshippingcompany]

@@CactusAtlas it reminds me a lot of that abandoned pre-Columbian city in the desert of northern Peru. Although the sites are separated by about 3000 years I suspect the story of their rise and fall (ie prolonged drought) is very similar.

[@cdd4248]

Good Point - Very purposeful.

[@ercost60]

Great video! LOVE Chaco Canyon, been there twice, will return. For more info, an excellent book is People of Chaco: A Canyon and Its Culture by Kendrick Frazier.

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you! And thanks for the info as well! We'll be sure to check it out. 😄👍

[@acerone10]

WOW, very interesting. TFS

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you! Cheers! 😄

[@rhondaenglish4022]

Love to see my anscestors jobs, Already know. 4th,generations of awesomeness,thankyou. Power thoughts every truther. Keep strong. Thankyou. .

[@jool5941]

Why do you think they abandoned it?

[@margaretlouise6200]

When I taught school on the Navajo reservation I visited Chaco many times. I took an astronomy class at Dineh College and often I was looking at Chaco from that perspective because they were advanced astronomers. The Anasazi built all their settlements on a north-south line from Mesa Verdi to Chaco and maybe further south. (Pueblo Benito and other structures may not have been housing but some kind of ceremonial centers.) I found that my compass would act strangely at Chaco and I wondered if maybe there were ley lines or electro/magnetic flows along that line that made them want to build on it. All I can say is there's more to Chaco than what's visible to the eye. You can feel it. This videographer felt it too as tingles on his neck. Hackles going up? As an aside, the reason for the abandonment of Chaco was a several hundred year severe drought and cold in the 1200's something that was also seen in Europe. The rock Chaco was built with came from close formations that naturally break up into those flat stones and you can see the outcroppings. It's believed that Chaco may have for a time been invaded by a people from the south, maybe Mexico, who were cannibals at least in a ritual level because bones were found with "pot polish" e.g., having been stirred and cooked in a pot. Those people had teeth filed to a point which is what identified them. So if you get the jitters at places in Chaco, maybe that's what you're feeling.

[@CactusAtlas]

All very fascinating information! Thank you SO much for sharing!

[@davidmills1639]

I am so glad I found your channel! Your in-depth research you do kept us watching intensely and excited. We will be traveling there in Sept on our way thru eastern Utah and western Colorado. What time was your visit? Weather looks great and no people!

[@CactusAtlas]

Awesome! Thank you! We try our best to do research but as with many of these older sites, sometimes things vary - especially things such as purpose or what life was like then. This video was filmed in July of last year. We include the date videos were filmed in descriptions to help people out (us too! It's so easy to forget when we went places. 😅). Hope your trip is a fantastic one there!

[@akamazon3]

This video brought back great memories of a trip my husband and I took to New Mexico in 2015. If you get a chance, go to Aztec NM and see a reproduction of an actual Kiva. Quite interesting.

[@CactusAtlas]

The clips from the end of this video is from that very kiva! But one will wait for that video. 🤫😉

[@akamazon3]

@@CactusAtlas obviously, my comment came before I watched the entire video. lol.. thanks so much for showing ALL of Chaco. So much I couldn't physically reach, but awesome to see in this video.

[@RayAllen-m3p]

A few years ago I was surprised to learn at the Tuzigoot National Monument in Cottonwood, AZ that tropical birds thrived along the Verde River until the late 1800's when they were all killed for their feathers. It is possible that these tropical birds existed farther north so it is not surprising that their feathers were found at Chaco Canyon.

[@lotuspod17axemaster93]

I had almost forgot to thank you for this video please forgive me, nonetheless great video thank you so much sir 👉🤝

[@CactusAtlas]

Thanks! We're glad that you enjoyed it! 😄

[@lucasb1324]

Fantastic, I would like to walk around there too, but I wonder, is it allowed to walk around these buildings? Good pictures and overview. Thank you so much for these wonderful pictures 🤨 👴 👨‍🦽

[@CactusAtlas]

Yup! There's a trail, and it's clearly marked where not to go.

[@ronduff4325]

On my list of Native American sites to visit. Thank you for sharing this !

[@CactusAtlas]

Our pleasure! Hopefully you get that opportunity to visit. 😄👍

[@donsixpack6779]

The underground structure with the railroad rails looks like a cistern

[@ERLong-ww7yn]

Awesome video. Thank you.

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you too!

[@Simonjose7258]

It's too cold at night to live there without any fires 🔥... and there's ZERO evidence of any hearths or fires or much of anything in those buildings. Only the round spaces show signs of habitation. The only things they have found are corn cobs and interestingly enough, equipment for playing some kind of ball game 🏑. This was in the corner of one of the many rooms... all this leading us to believe that these structures must have been Graineries or Banks for storage of grain and other "dry goods". It's all very fascinating and mysterious. Thanks for sharing. 🙏🏽

[@CactusAtlas]

Very happy to share it with you! You raise some very interesting and valid points about grain vs evidence of living. We certainly believe that they was not a mass community living there as many books have stated this theory not to hold water and the evidence is pretty much there to support that as you stated. Appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us and thanks for watching our video. 😄

[@sprucehouse9]

Wow! Nicely done! It's a place I likely will never have a chance to visit so it was great to tag along in your beautifully shot video. One question: you mention a book several times - what is the title and author?

[@CactusAtlas]

Chaco Canyon: Archaeologists Explore the Lives of an Ancient Society by Brian Fagan

[@BigBadJohn]

I grew up on a farm/ranch and spent a little time in South West Asia, so I have a different perspective. In Afghanistan, for example, you can see how people live in dry areas. What was and still is necessary today to survive. To me, many of the sunken rooms remind me of grain silos. We know that in Europe there was a cooling period between 1300 and 1850. If that had an effect on North America that would have led many of the Natives to move south to survive, in just a few generations that would have had many natives believing that their ancestors and heritage came from the north.

[@BlueBonnie764]

🪔 Brilliant comment

[@Grannathinks]

It's amazing,the rock works looks like brick work. I noticed they built two over one,one over two ; much like the early Portuguese explorers(?) seamen who sailed everywhere in the currently known world long before it was known by anyone else ( except Templar knights)

[@CactusAtlas]

The masonry there is pretty impressive. 😄👍

[@Qiman]

Nice work! You can tell by the architecture and the logistics of the location of the complex in the valley that this was a peaceful society. It was not built like defensive structures, nor up high for warring advantages.

[@herbertmartinez1735]

Cool

[@oohmomma69]

Wow what an amazing video👏👏 this is going on our bucket list! Thanks , video well done, this place is amazing!

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you so much!

[@copsaintchit]

Very cool

[@odar9729]

It was a trading place.

[@OfftoShambala]

That underground area could have been water storage … but in the summer, it’s cool down there

[@88_TROUBLE_88]

Not sure if anyone else has mentioned this but those alternating bands of larger and smaller rocks was utilitarian in purpose - it's for structural integrity.

[@robertevans9354]

TY I valued your comment immensely it helps me establish some theories

[@brpmanmann1255]

the sky was their TV

[@Ogmin108]

It is estimated that there was sufficient precipitation for corn to be raised in Chaco Canyon in only 3% of the years of its existence.The population in the canyon was heavily dependent on outliers raising maize in locations with better rainfall.

[@_ballchinian1594]

Very interesting to see this site as I'm Native and it's forbidden to enter or go near these ruins. These people were not ancestors to the Natives in these areas. As I remember, they were people who came to this region from the south and were only here for a brief moment in time (200-300 years). These ruins are viewed as places of "sadness and death". The people who created these structures were not view positively by the tribes in the region. Very interesting to see what it looks like up close though.

[@jamesbingham4538]

Any guess on where all of the building materials that are gone, went to? These walls are massive, but it's a small portion of what was once here.

[@CactusAtlas]

Not entirely sure sadly. It's possible some was vandalism. Maybe stolen. Probably a whole lot of things. 🤷‍♀️

[@jamesditsworth3845]

You mention plaster on the walls. Wouldn't there be significant residual plaster in that case? I am thinking that there was no plaster or paint at all, just the bricks and mortar.

[@LorenzoFrank-j1d]

Another Thing's also, , They Connection with Others, , Behind Volcano Plugs in That Areas 😊

[@troytaylor1913]

I grew up in the four corners. I read the masonry work with three layers of small stones then a large layer made the wall stronger. Archaeologists built and tested it. Mesa Verde masonry work is different, I don't think I've seen it there. At one time Chaco Canyon was a thick pine forest and where the dry wash is was kind of swampy. Those logs they used in construction came from there, they didn't carry them by hand for fifty miles like they once thought. Over time the Anasazi people deforested the area and it dried up. There are pine trees in nearby canyons but the pine forest that it once was never recovered. it's got Utah Juniper and Pinon nearby tho. I think the doors are small because it is easier to defend, imagine attacking someone bent down while the person on the other side is hitting you in the head.

[@troytaylor1913]

There is a place at the end of the Anasazi road from Chaco at Angle Peak. They would make the most decorated pottery and throw it off the edge of the cliffs at Angle Peak Badlands. It was some kind of celebration of their ancestors from the north the archaeologists think. It has a great view.

[@garymartin9728]

These people weren't lazy by any means, they're actually pretty good primitive engineers, build all that in canyons and then make it's blend in to camouflage it so hopefully they could hide from their enemy and have the advantages of cliffs too help ward off their enemies.

[@candymcclure2476]

I have seen the T shape doorway in some other ancient culture but I look at so many on KZbin I am not sure which one. Gramma Candy

[@paulwestenskow7302]

In your show,what book are you reading on this? Thanks!

[@CactusAtlas]

Chaco Canyon: Archaeologists Explore the Lives of an Ancient Society by Brian Fagan

[@barebones9]

Could the round structures have been used for water storage, filled during floods?

[@Lee-yb2zr]

What kind of wood is this?? Does it state?

[@CactusAtlas]

A lot of ponderosa pine along with some other firs and spruces.

[@marianfrances4959]

I know it may snow there in Jan...but is the drive in/hike OK?

[@CactusAtlas]

Based on things we've read, it's not advisable to drive in when the roads are wet. Not sure about hiking but wouldn't think it would be much fun either.

[@marianfrances4959]

@@CactusAtlas thank you!

[@nanditasmithback7636]

is the name of the book by Brian Fagan by any chance? if so I'm reading that book at the moment .

[@CactusAtlas]

Indeed that is the book! 😄

[@brandonGCHACHU]

I'm from the Zuni Pueblo and whenever I visited Chaco I felt extremely uneasy and almost fearful. I think something very bad happened there and I could feel it in the atmosphere. Perhaps their knowledge of the universe became too powerful and they opened a gateway to something frightening or something. I say this because I used to lay on my back and gaze and point at the stars and Milky way as a child and my Zuni Grandma saw me and told me it was forbidden to do so now. When I asked her why she told me she didn't know but that her Mother and Grandmothers had passed this down. Also a lot of petroglyphs contain depictions of alien like creatures and stars while the sun is out.....perhaps a Supernova type event.

[@frankedgar6694]

That Turkey at about 1:10 made me do a double take. At first, my brain saw a pig stretched out on spits.

[@CactusAtlas]

😂 Honestly, I can see it now.

[@dorisruth2267]

The large kiva was probably for the tribe as big public gatherings or for holidays (holy days).

[@user-be6ec3dc4t]

Those holes are that you keep referring is kiwa are actually water reservoirs for residents

[@davidarnsparger5585]

I have heard that the drive to Chaco Canyon is very rough and bumpy. Can I trailer my small camper when I visit?

[@CactusAtlas]

It was indeed rough when we went several years ago, but unfortunately we have no experience with trailers or campers. You'll probably want to call the rangers at the park for the most up to date conditions as weather can affect the drive in.

[@bobnoon253]

Watch Tradiitional Navajo Teachings video about the Anasazi. The Oldman sayes that Chaco Canyon is called the place of crying by the Navajo. And he says the Anasazi were slave traders. Very interesting video.

[@Good-DaySunshine]

12:14 You weren't alone. At 8:04 look at the left side of the screen. Somebody float...I mean walking around. 😮

[@ERLong-ww7yn]

I think the answer to how they supported a large community in that area is that the climate and ecosystem was much different then. Cataclysmic climate change must have been what drove them away

[@JoellHedges-dm1mu]

Nobody drove them away. They were “gotten rid of”. Then the spring watering hole was cemented in at the 24:42 mark.

[@amystuck987]

Some of those look like water holding

[@scutterlibby]

imagine if they had the roman arch, concrete and iron?

[@BreakOutOfTheAlgorithm]

👁️👍🏽🔔

[@VVv-c2m]

Where did the trees come from ?

[@CactusAtlas]

Research found that the trees mostly came in from the Chuska Mountains. There is a very interesting video also on KZbin that talks about the study. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnTHopaPotd8bNEsi=BX5bYqTZanLmykWd

[@muddgeeser]

Montazumas grave has Welsh writing in it,

[@yoxat1]

In my opinion the kivas aren't about ceremony. They're cisterns to hold water

[@robertevans9354]

Agreed one hundred percent, you get it better than all the PhD type scholars put together eureka

[@P.T.A.655]

Is there a view here that you don’t walk far. My husband had a big stroke so his left side has limits. And he can a little while before he gets worn out then he sits in wheelchair. Plus I have limits too

[@P.T.A.655]

And he can’t climb stairs without handrail

[@P.T.A.655]

This is still my favorite video. Can’t wait till you read the whole book and come back here

[@CactusAtlas]

It's been a while since we visited Chaco but unfortunately it isn't the most accessible place. There really aren't any places to drive up and get views sadly. 😞

[@P.T.A.655]

Thank you

[@ivonflashey1042]

Also check out the city of quelap Peru 🇵🇪 its identical to great Zimbabwe/great house of stone.😅

[@LorenzoFrank-j1d]

My old Grandma, Use Say, Small People

[@DovieRuthAuthor]

It's mind boggling to imagine how those complex structures were built without benefit of formal training in mathematics and engineering.

[@CactusAtlas]

I know. They're so incredibly precise looking - smooth even walls, structurally capable of handling several stories... and to go from what they were building to THAT? Amazing!

[@GratefulOverlander]

What's mind boggling is that the modern world thinks you need formal schooling for life. They learned from their elders, who learned from the forefathers! They weren't weak like modern people

[@kreggossmer2029]

😎👍👍

[@Lee-yb2zr]

To me some of these keivas look like kitchens.

[@christiana8820]

Some of the latest research theorizes that this place was not a huge city but a ceremonial place that people would visit for religious ceremonies. Obviously was a place very revered by natives. Why this specific place to build, though???

[@CactusAtlas]

Unfortunately a lot of information might have been lost to time. Was it at a crossing of trade or travel routes? Was there significance to the location in terms of sun and/or water? Much has clearly changed over time. There's plenty of theories but the facts sadly can't speak for themselves now.

[@davidarmendariz2462]

Youre correct The glyphs of circles with spiral inside were made for a time sequence purpose but.not for the agriculture seasons..that's what they tell us about the natives ..if you ever get a chance and you find yourself seeing modern native..ask him : what's up with all the sexual content in the glyphs your ancestors did ? they will either silence you or ignore you they are ashamed and embarrassed of what their great great great ancestors use to do and worshiped for..I already asked two modern natives that question and I was hushed and ignored...they were actually more surprised that I knew about them..lol..

[@donaldbeamer3563]

Looks like the doors are designed to be partially blocked for privacy, while simultaneously leaving the bottom open for air flow. Just sayin.

[@Littlegoatpaws]

There's a reason none of the actual stuff is in the museum. It turns out the whole HVAC system was botched in the construction, and many of the artifacts are sensitive to temperature variations. They would decay without climate control, the system was supposed to get fixed but still hasn't a decade later... That's the Feds for ya. It actually made local news, pretty big scandal for how much was spent on the museum project. So yeah, the artifacts aren't on loan or whatever, they're sitting in a dark archival drawer somewhere instead of in the display cases made to accommodate them. Maybe in 40 years it'll finally all get sorted out and you'll get to see more of the actual everyday items of these ancient people, not just a glorified kitsch shop.

[@CactusAtlas]

😯😢 Well, that's certainly a shame to hear about. I know the road to get there isn't fantastic but it's not like trying to get cement up to Cerro Gordo on that road. One would think people could get out there to get things right. I guess as long as they are being taken care of right now (despite not being on display) then great... they're being preserved. But I hope they get to be shown to the world sooner than later though.

[@glennbellman1100]

Human bones found there had tool marks on them suggesting tools were used to remove meat from the bones. Cannibleism?

[@hed2410]

Dissection and anatomical study

[@jadeddragon4254]

Oh yeah that would totally explain the pot polished bones and scorch marks on the under side of skulls 👍

[@dorisruth2267]

The several smaller kivas were different societies: hunting groups, women’s group (the oval;a womb shape), religious groups, and family societies.

[@CactusAtlas]

Makes sense. I can see that. 👍

[@Redfour5]

A big question asked by most is what happened to them?... Well, actually they are still there in pockets and designated by tribes and often similar behaviors. There is a reason the Navajo and Puebloans generally don't get along.... You can almost feel the emnity in the story...and the notation of how many more of them (navajo) there were almost as a contextual indication of why they are telling the story as the dominant culture. One, the most likey theory was that the Navajo essentially moved into the area and that may have been one of the reasons for the decline of the Puebloan "culture" in the 1300's. A period of warfare can be documented. The influx of Navajos themselves likely moving because of climate change along with the stressors of the climate change drying everything out, cutting crops is probably the main set of dynamics in play. The teacher says, they far outnumbered the Puebloans. It was the Navajo who told the first whites in the area the name Anazazi... That name has different "exact" definition (ancient enemy/ancestral enemy and so on) but all would agree that enemy is in the definition. The reason the name has changed over time is because the remnants of the Puebloans are the Zuni, Hopi, Laguna and Acoma and it really angers them that white culture gave the name Anazazi to the culture that was theirs... They speak different languages themselves from various linquistic sources but appear to have lived together somewhat peaceably with similar cultures and beliefs before the arrival of the Navajo. This Encyclopedia Britannica set of articles gives a brief overview... of both the Puebloans and Navajo histories www.britannica.com/topic/Pueblo-Indians