Mysteries of Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde
An intensive look at one the most compelling archeological sites located in a remote section of northwestern New Mexico. Here large, apparently urban centers with intricate stone architecture, kivas and underground chambers interlocking still retain their secrets. The dark night sky makes this a very special place.
Day 1
Individual arrivals at the historic Strater Hotel in Durango, Colorado. Check-in time is 4 pm. Meet study leader, tour manager, and fellow associates at the welcome reception, orientation, and dinner.
Day 2
Breakfast served and lecture. Depart for a Chaco outlier, Chimney Rock. This is a "line of sight" set of kivas on top of a large rock outcrop. A guest lecturer explains the towers and Chimney Rock's relationship to other Chaco outliers. Return to Durango for lunch at Randy's Restaurant. Depart for Aztec Ruins National Monument and Salmon Ruins. Visit structures and artifacts of Ancestral Pueblo people from the 1100-1200's. Visit a reconstructed great Kiva. Continue to Salmon Ruins dating back to the 11th century.
Check-in: Step Back Inn in Aztec, New Mexico. Dinner at the Main Street Bistro in Aztec.
Day 3
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for a full day and evening at Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Explore the monumental public and ceremonial buildings, with their distinctive architecture. The buildings, Chacoan roads, ramps, dams, and mounds, are a testimony to the engineering, design, and building genius of the Chacoan people, as they created this spectacular ancient urban center, one that still amazes and inspires a thousand years later. Picnic lunch in the field.
Catered dinner at Chaco. Astronomy presentation by guest lecturer. Depart Chaco and return to hotel at approximately 11 pm.
Day 4
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for the Anasazi Heritage Center in Dolores, Colorado. Enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of the weaving collection and a lecture on Chaco Culture and the pioneering work of the Wetherill family. Lunch at Crow Canyon Archeological Center. Enjoy the afternoon at Crow Canyon Archeological Center in Cortez. The Center is dedicated to preserving the rich history of the ancient Pueblo Indians who inhabited the canyons and mesas of the American Southwest.
Check-in: Strater Hotel, Durango. Depart for the Toh-atin Gallery, specializing in Native American Southwest art. Renowned for Navajo weavings, the gallery also features jewelry, paintings, sculpture, katsinas and pottery. Refreshments are served. Dinner at the Palace Restaurant.
Day 5
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart the hotel for a full day at Mesa Verde National Park. Arrive at Mesa Verde National Park. From approximately 600-1300 AD, people lived and flourished in communities throughout the area, eventually building elaborate stone villages in the sheltered alcoves of the canyon walls. Twenty-four Native American tribes in the southwest have an ancestral affiliation with the sites at Mesa Verde. Enjoy lunch in the field.
Estimated return to the hotel at 5:30 pm. Farewell dinner at the hotel.
Day 6
Breakfast at the hotel. Individual departures. Checkout time is 11 am.
Itineraries are samples and may change according to availability of the speaker and locations. All itineraries may be customized and modified to suit circumstances.