[La Enchiladita]

So glad I found this thread. I LOVE Chaco more than anyone here, I swear it!

Pueblo Bonito! You can walk all through the dwellings and must stoop to walk through the doorways. Were the Anasazi little people or just had the habit of stooping? (Stoopid question, I know.)

I travelled there with a group. Oh yes, the road in is memorable. I recall we encountered a Navajo woman whose land we passed through. We had to stop and talk with her. We were also chasing storms. Anyway, we arrived and then found the campground and chose our places to sleep at night. It was near the full moon, so didn't sleep much, just listened to coyotes. In the morning, I went with one of the guys from our group and a park ranger to walk the canyon and look at petroglyphs.

I enjoyed that so much that when I got home to California, I wrote a letter to the regional supervisor complimenting our ranger on his knowledge and presentation.

After walking around Pueblo Bonito in the afternoon, we all hiked up a gradual slope to a mesa east of Pueblo Bonito, and sat there to watch the sunset. In the meantime, we gazed in the four directions toward other sites that were interconnected to Chaco by roads and visible to one another from a distance. Someone here mentioned that already.

I hesitate to say what I experienced walking down from the mesa, but it was one of the most special moments of my life. Cosmic, I guess, and I wanted to stay that way. It was great.

Also visited the kiva and sat in it for awhile while one of our guys recited some Shakespeare. Normally, I would say Shut up, but it was cool, kind of funny. I loved that kiva and I love the legends of kivas. I remember there was a park attendant who came around to service the bathrooms at the campground and I heard him sort of humming/singing to himself while he worked. So, one day I chanced to speak with him and asked about the singing. He was very nice and said they were Navajo songs.

We were on geography/biology/botany field studies from Santa Monica College. We also camped at Canyon de Chelly, Hovenweep, Mesa Verde, Monument Valley and a couple of other places while travelling the Colorado Plateau. Experienced some great storms as well.

[conservativeharleyguy]

The doors in my 300 year old adobe house are pretty small as well.

From what I understand, a couple of likely reasons the early Puebloeans ( I tend not to use the term "Anasazi") throughout the region (not just at Chaco) made theirs small was two-fold.

One, their were pretty small people to begin with.

Two, was tactical. Only one adversary can fit through the door at a time, and when you're fighting indoors with clubs, thrusted spears, and knives, it's easier to fend them off.

The early Spanish who came later adopted a lot of the Pueblo-style architecture out of necessity, and convenience.

[Renfield]

Instead of reciting Shakespeare, all of you should have chanted "Koyaanisqatsi......Koyaanisqatsi......Koyaanisqatsi.....Koyaanisqatsi......"

[Dinah Lord]

What a wonderful trip that must have been!

I too, had this weird cosmic experience the single time I visited. So much so that I'm currently working with an architect out of Santa Fe designing a contemporary home that incorporates Chacoan elements of architecture.

Forget hantavirus, I've got Chaco Fever!

It has been a really interesting project.
(All doorways will be regular sized. Ha-ha)

[bert]

......It was near the full moon, so didn't sleep much, just listened to coyotes.......

Sleeping in the Chaco campground is one of my life's greatest nights. The aura is positively awsome.

My wife and I spent nearly two days there taking in only a smattering of the place. We were there on a night when astronomers had gathered and brought a lot of big telescopes. We were treated to a buffet of astronomical views coupled with an indepth presentation about the Chaco astronomers.

My take on the short dooors is short people. I see many very short Mexican Indians hereabouts and am convinced the Chaco dwellers were small statured.

My wife retires in October and I suspect we will return next year.

By the way...... have you read Tony Hillerman....A Thief of Time? Great mystery novel featuring Chaco.