Ancient Pueblo Sites and Archaeoastronomy Tour - Winter 2006-07

Sites visited

Mesa Verde (Colorado)

• Scrub Jay
• Dark-eyed Junco (Rocky Mountain Race)
• Western Bluebird
• Cliff Palace
• Snow atop the Mesa

Hovenweep (Utah)

• Ferruginous Hawk
• Hovenweep Castle
• Detail of masonry wall - Two Towers
• Square Tower
• Liquid Turquoise

Chaco Canyon (New Mexico)

• Candlestick Rock, north of Shiprock NM (on the route to Chaco)
• Scaled Quail and ancient wall
• Rock Wren (and shadow)
• Homes of original cliff dwellers - Cliff Swallow Nests
• Hoarfrost on Tamarisk
• Fajada Butte View
• Una Vida Petroglyphs
• Cougar petroglyph
• Strange Bird Petroglyph
• Twin Kiva shadows
• Casa Rinconada Great Kiva niches
• Detail of masonry wall - Cheto Ketl

Chimney Rock Pueblo (Colorado) - We were fortunate to be able to visit on Jan 2, 2007, the date of the full moon rising between the spires of Chimney Rock and Companion Rock, an event associated with the major lunar standstill and the winter solstice. This occurs only every 18.6 years, but it is likely that the ancient Pueblo astronomers used this site that that same purpose in 1076 and 1094 AD. For more details on the astronomical perspective, see here and here.

• Sightline between the spires prior to moonrise - 4 PM
• Moonrise from the ancient observatory site - 4:24 PM (the white dot on the top of Companion Rock (at left) is a Prairie Falcon!)
• More moon showing - 4:25  PM
• Even later - 4:32 PM
• Closer view - 4:32 PM
• View from the Great Kiva - 4:42 PM
• Moon and spires
• Moon and pueblo (from the parking lot)
• Elizabeth and the moon/spire alignment