Chaco Culture National Historical Park — 110 Years Strong
On March 11, 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon a protected national monument under the Antiquities Act of 1906. President Roosevelt’s decree ensured that one of our nation’s most significant and awe-inspiring ancient ruins was protected and conserved for people to visit and learn from for years to come. While the 36,000 acre Chaco Culture National Historical Park hosts amazing artifacts and ruins, the unprotected public lands surrounding the park are an integral part of the ancient Chaco story.
The greater Chaco landscape was the center of pre-Columbian life in New Mexico for centuries prior to European settlement. These sites include great living complexes like Pueblo Bonito, Pueblo Alto and Chetro Ketl, each co. In addition to these architectural sites the Greater Chaco region contains numerous examples of ancient agricultural technology, religion and astronomy. The Pueblo people of Chaco Canyon regularly traded with coastal peoples and had long ties across what is now the US — Mexico border. The Chaco region truly deserves its designation as one of the first American National Monuments and as a World Heritage Site.
As we approach the 110th birthday of one of our most cherished national parks as a protected area it’s important to reflect on how fortunate we are to have public lands like Chaco Canyon.
Even before the concept of public lands emerged there was a long tradition of environmental stewardship here in New Mexico. Pueblos and tribes in New Mexico have actively protected the land and water for generations. Later, Hispanic and American settlers helped to preserve wilderness areas and agricultural lands for posterity. But despite our long conservation heritage there are new threats to our national parks including Chaco Canyon. Recently, the Bureau of Land Management held an online auction of land near the park boundary for oil and gas leasing. This auction was held against the express wishes of tribal nations and thousands of New Mexicans that support protecting the greater Chaco landscape.
With directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing encroaching on the park boundary Chaco Canyon faces new threats on a daily basis. As we near the 110th anniversary of Chaco’s status as a national monument we need to look forward to what the next 110 years will bring for the park. Will we be able to pass down a pristine landscape and a cultural heritage that belongs to all people or will we see this place desecrated and forgotten?
The very uniquely American value of protecting wilderness and historical lands for future generations has become a model for countries across the world. This year lets celebrate the 110th birthday of Chaco Canyon as a national monument and recommit ourselves to protecting and preserving this precious piece of our shared human heritage. Let us all stand for Chaco Canyon.
#ProtectGreaterChaco
