Chaco Canyon: Ancestral Pueblo civilization which pre-dates the most famous ruins of Mesa Verde. The extensive ruins of Chaco certainly rival those of Mesa Verde. However, Chaco gets less than 10% of the number of visitors Mesa Verde gets. So you can walk your own pace, dream your own dreams, and commune with nature and the ruins in your own pace. The inhabitants of Chaco fled the canyon from about 1150 to 1250 AD. Their descendants built the Cliff House and other famous buildings of Mesa Verde, along with other ruins, such as those of Bandelier National Monument. Their progeny became the Zuni, Acoma, Tesuque, Taos, Sandia, Nambe, Laguna, Kewa, Jemez, Hopi, and other Pueblo People.

While the buildings were all constructed by the Ancestral Puebloans, who abandoned the place by about 1250, the Navajo were driven to this area from the north by the Comanche and the Ute around the year 1400. They settled, took the place on as stewards, and developed a rich mythological and spiritual attachment to the land. Both the Pueblo People and the Navajo honor this as sacred land.

While a lot is known about the people who lived in Chaco Canyon, it is still a place of mystery, and is often called "The Machu Picchu of the United States."

"There is no other place like Chaco. Some who go there find it remote, harsh, oppressive, and they leave quickly. Others return, pulled by a subtle yet unmistakable power captured within the canyon walls. Most acknowledge sensing the echo of those who once created a 'Center Place' before time silenced their voices" -- Gwinn Vivian and Bruce Hilpert (Archaeologists, specialists on Chaco Culture)