1July2008

CHACO CANYON: Doorway into the Past (Part II)

Posted by Robin Easton under: Hobnobbin' with Robin.

I apologize for having to make these photos so small. I wanted to keep them full size so you would “FEEL” the power of Chaco Canyon. But that was not possible if I wanted the page to load. So I humbly share with you these small photos and hope you might still experience the spirit of this magical place. (To read photo titles move your cursor over a photo and wait 2 seconds. If no title appears move to another spot on photo. )

I am brought to tears by these ancestral Puebloan dwellings built by highly skilled artisans who had a “living” connection to the sun, moon, stars and growing seasons. They had a living connection with the earth they inhabited.

These astounding creations were built during AD 850 to 1250 and are not simple huts or even mere stone houses. These buildings were sophisticated complexes of many stories and hundreds of rooms. They are unparalleled in the United States. Each stone was laid by hand and the walls are often three feet thick at the base, thinning with each successive story. They not only made them to endure, but sun and light were taken into consideration. Some rooms had corner windows (see lower window in second photo). Scientists believe that the 200,000 logs used in their construction came from between 60 to 70 miles away…and were carried to Chaco on foot. A phenomenal feat.

Some buildings were believed to be as high as four of five stories. You can still see the timber sticking from the walls (second photo), the remains of a second story floor. There are walls still standing that reach three stories high. Together all the buildings comprised a major center for these ancestral Puebloans and once housed 3,000 to 4,000 people at the height of it’s existence.

I loved the tiny doorways. I had to crouch to go through them. The men who built them were roughly 5′ 5″ and the woman shorter, but the doorways were probably made small for structural integrity when building several stories high. A small doorway could also be more easily sealed to keep out cold or danger. I was able to stand outside some dwellings and look through four or five doorways at ounce, all lined up in stunning symmetry. Inside the rooms I felt so much joy and peace. I could hardly grasp that I stood in a room hundreds of years old. Probably someone from that ancient time stood exactly where I stood. Could I feel their essence? Very much so. I felt it all around me. The memory is stored in the millions of flat stones that make up the walls. I could almost hear their voices echo through the now empty rooms. I could hear women grinding corn, dogs barking and children playing. I wanted to stand alone within the walls and listen, absorbing the life that once was and still is part of Chaco Canyon.

I wanted to stay forever. I love ruins of any kind but these are by far the most majestic ruins I’ve ever seen. I loved to look through their windows at the rocky bluffs and blue sky beyond. I wondered, “Who stood at this same window all those hundreds of years ago? Did they see what I am seeing now? Was it a woman like me? Did her hands gently rest here like mine? I am connected to all that was and all that will ever be. Maybe in some distant future another woman may wonder about me.”

May the doorways you open lead into the great unknown. You’ll find magic there.

From my Heart,
Robin

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PS: NEXT WEEK”CHACO CANYON: Stairway Through Stone” We’ll climb through a slot in the rock cliffs, just as the ancestral Puebloans did. Then we’ll look down upon some of the ancient complexes from high atop the mesa. In the mean time you can go to this link FAQs and find fascinating answers to some of the questions that might have arisen while reading this post. It is a PARK service page. For those wanting more in depth information there are many books about Chaco Canyon but I’ve heard this one by Brian Fagan is very good: “Chaco Canyon: Archaeologists Explore the Lives of an Ancient Society”

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DEDICATED TO: (listed alphabetically)

BRAIN TEASER: http://brainteaser.wordpress.com Brain Teaser is a very appropriate name for this site. At first I wasn’t quite sure why she named it that and thought it had to do with brainteaser puzzles, mind puzzles….WRONG!! This delightful site is full of posts that are artfully written as well as wise. This young woman is gifted with profound insight into life and human nature. She often writes about dreams, the soul, etc. as if they are an entity all on their own…an examples is her piece “Lamentation of the Dream Un-winged”

KINSEY BARNARD: http://kinseyphotos.blogspot.com/ Kinsey’s nature photos are stunning. She travels all over creation photographing nature’s beauty. She has just put up some tiger swallow-tail butterflies that are absolutely breathless. They are a “must see”. She has two other sites that are equally as stunning. They can be accessed through this site. Kinsey’s writing is unique, philosophical, right to the point, warm and sometimes humorous.

OPHELIA RISING: http://ophelia–rising.blogspot.com/ Ophelia Rising’s writing is raw and honest. She sometimes raises questions that others might not dare raise or even think about. Her writing is directly from her heart and doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. No matter what she writes I sense a deep underlying feirceness and determination, similar to the one mother’s feel when protecting their children. She is a mother, but she writes about LIFE. She is not afraid to tell it like it is. I like that. She is a powerful woman finding her way boldly in the world.

THE CLIFF WALK: http://thecliffwalk.com/ This is a fascinating photo blog. One look at Cliff Walk’s photos and they go directly into me, creating an immediate gut reaction. They are clean simple photos of things we see every day….and YET, we probably don’t see them the way Cliff Walk does. Although photos of every day things, they are highly complex emotionally and mentally. They make me have to stop and process what I’m feeling. It’s like he is photographing the world when it’s guard is down.