UNESCO has determined Chaco Canyon is a unique cultural phenomenon of “Outstanding Universal Value” deserving the designation, “World Heritage Site.” It is as important to world history as The Great Wall of China, Manchu Picchu and Stonehenge. Nevertheless, oil and gas development threatens the widely distributed remains of this significant cultural phenomenon.
The Cultural Tradition is Threatened by Development
Defining Traits of the Chacoan Tradition
Located in the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico, the Chacoan civilization reached its height between A. D. 850 and A.D. 1250. Exquisite masonry, architectural and engineering expertise, distinctive features such as corner windows and T-shaped doors, subterranean ceremonial kivas and plazas define the Chacoan tradition.
The Link Between Past and Present
The Contemporary Pueblo People are the descendants of the Ancient Chacoan People. Most importantly, this link between past and present, between outstanding archeological remains and living peoples is unique. No where else in the United States has so large an indigenous population retained its ethnic identity mostly intact for so many years.
The Unique Chacoan Phenomenon is Threatened by Development
Chaco Canyon is only the center of a culture that reached far outside the canyon itself. More than 400 miles of wide roads radiate out from the canyon connecting hundreds of outlying sites and communities. Nevertheless, developers are extracting oil and gas from beneath the surface by means as drastic as fracking. Unless development is contained, the pursuit of economic gain, may outweigh the significance of the unique Chacoan phenomenon.
