Chaco Culture National Historical Park | |
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Location | San Juan County and McKinley County, New Mexico, US |
Coordinates | 36°04′N 107°58′W / 36.06°N 107.96°W |
Area | 33,977.8 acres (137.50 km2) |
Architectural style(s) | Ancient Puebloan |
Visitors | 39,175 (in 2011) |
Governing body | National Park Service |
Website | Chaco Culture National Historical Park |
Official name: Chaco Culture | |
Type | Cultural |
Criteria | iii |
Designated | 1987 (11th session) |
Reference no. | 353 |
State Party | United States |
Region | Europe and North America |
Type | historic district |
Designated | October 15, 1966 |
Reference no. | 66000895[1] |
Former U.S. National Monument | |
Designated | March 11, 1907 |
Delisted | December 19, 1980 |
Designated by | President Theodore Roosevelt |
U.S. National Historical Park | |
Designated | December 19, 1980 |
N.M. State Register of Cultural Properties | |
Designated | May 21, 1971 |
Reference no. | 57 |
Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park. It is in New Mexico. This was a cultural center for the Ancestral Puebloan people. The site was active between 850 and 1250 CE. It is an important cultural site from a Pre-Columbian society. The sites were important for ceremonies. At the time, the sites included some of the largest buildings in America. Many of the buildings are connected to astronomy. Puebloan people most likely left the sites because of climate change. Today the Pueblo and Hopi people consider the site sacred.[2][3] The park is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[4]