russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 8:49AM PST (-0800 GMT)
hi My name is Russ Bodnar and I work at Chaco Culture NHP. I look forward to chatting about the wonderful park that I work at.

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 8:50AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Greetings Campers - today we have a ranger from Chaco Culture Park right in Chaco Canyon online to answer questions as part of our Anasazi / Ancestral Puebloan studies that included a previous chat with a ranger from Mesa Verde National Park. Please ask on-topic questions and be imaginative !

Timothy - Camp: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 8:53AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Ranger Bodnar - does the Chaco Culture Park make use of GIS for mapping the area? Check out the Camp Internet GIS web at button

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 8:54AM PST (-0800 GMT)
We visited Chaco Canyon on an expedition back in 1986 when Fajada Butte was open to visitors to climb up and see the solstice marker - is the marker still working and how does one get permission to view it if at all ?

Timothy - Camp: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 8:57AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Ranger Bodnar - do we have records which give an idea of the political structure of Anasazi culture? What type of leaders, was the culture led by Priests or Warriors?

Tsunami - grade 10 - PHS: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:02AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Ranger Bodnar - What is the oldest building in Chaco Canyon?

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:03AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Tim: The park is currently using GIS to identify sites and vegetation in the park. We're very excited about this.

Tsunami - grade 10 - PHS: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:03AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Ranger Bodnar - do we know what type of clothing the Anasazi had?

Tsunami - grade 10 - PHS: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:04AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Ranger Bonard - Does the Anasazi Culture still exist today?

Tsunami - grade 10 - PHS: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:05AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Ranger Bonard - What kind of cerimonies did the Anasazi have for the Solstices?

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:05AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Marcy: Unfortunately, Fajada Butte is closed to all access now. So many people wanted to visit the site, that human traffic may have caused erosion to the base of the slabs. They shifted and it no longer works like it has for 800 years. It is a sad lesson on fragile cultural sites are, and how our well-meaning interest can actually harm them

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:10AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Is there any effort to study how to return the slabs on Fajada to their proper positions ? Maybe the Getty or UNM as a special project ?

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:10AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Timothy: We don't know the social organization of the Chacoans, but there may have been high status people who directed the constuction of buildings, roads, dams, etc. There were some extraordinary burials found here in 1896. The individuals were accompanied by thousands of turquoise, beds, pendants, ceremonial staff, conch shell trumpets, etc. If material wealth was important to the Chacoans, then these people had lots more than their neighbors!

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:11AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Marcy: We think that any efforts to correct the slabs at Fajada Butte would do more harm than good. We do work with the Getty on other projects to preserve Chacoan sites.

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:11AM PST (-0800 GMT)
We are reading that 200,000 trees were used to build the different villages in Chaco Canyon and Pueblo Bonito and the kivas - is there evidence of where these trees came from and how their removal might have added to the impact of the drought that eventually made habitation impossible ?

Ayami - PHS: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:12AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What tools did they use to cut the rock for the buildings ?

Jakeh @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:13AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Hi, Russ!

Twiggy and Figgy from LAE: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:13AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Hey Russ, We're Twiggy and Figgy We are going to ask you some questions feel free to answer them

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:13AM PST (-0800 GMT)
In that 1896 burial discovery, what happened to those artifacts ? We would really like to get digital pictures of the artifacts - are they at UNM ?

Jakeh @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:13AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How long have you been a ranger at Chaco?

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:15AM PST (-0800 GMT)
We will soon be studying Paquime to the South and saw a map that connects Mesa Verde to Chaco Canyon to Paquime on a similar lattitude. What can you tell us about the amazing Chacoan road system ? Does it follow the same lattitude north and south ?

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:15AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What's your favorite cave in Chaco?

Twiggy and Figgy from LAE: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:15AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What animals do you see while being a ranger? And is it fun?

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:16AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What kinds of things do you study?

Twiggy and Figgy from LAE: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:16AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Why did you want to become a ranger? And when? From LAE coyotes. (Twiggy and Figgy)

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:16AM PST (-0800 GMT)
We have also been learning that the Chacoans had imported goods - turquoise from the east, shells from the coast - where did the copper come from ?

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:18AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What is your favorite animal you've seen while in Chaco?

Jay-Jay & Cee-Bee, L.A.E. coyotes.: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:18AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Ranger Bodnar, How deep is the deepest spot in Chaco Canyon?

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:18AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Are you there?

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:20AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Are you there?

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:21AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How long is Chaco Canyon in miles?

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:21AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Are there any endangered speices there?

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:22AM PST (-0800 GMT)

Jay-Jay & Cee-Bee, L.A.E. coyotes.: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:22AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Ranger Bodnar, Have you ever found any artifacts in any of the Indian ruins?

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:24AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What inspired you to becom a ranger?

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:25AM PST (-0800 GMT)

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:25AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Are there a lot of Indian Ruins at Chaco?

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:25AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Marcy: The 200,000 trees that roofed Chaco kivas and rooms came from nearby mountains, so 30-60 miles away. We think groups went to the mts, cut the trees, let them dry to reduce the weight, and returned several years later to carry them back for building projects. The mountains were not affected much by this timber harvest. But while Chaco was flourishing, the canyon was probably cleared of most small trees and brush which folks used for firewood. Lots of people living in the canyon or coming to the canyon for trading, ceremonies, and other events probably had a big effect on things growing around the buldings.

lae coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:27AM PST (-0800 GMT)
what is the usual climate in chaco canyon

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:28AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Are there any Indian ruins that look pretty new or built in the last 100 years?

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:28AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Are there any endangered speices that you have seen while on campus?

Jay-Jay & Cee-Bee, L.A.E. coyotes.: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:29AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Ranger Bodnar, What did the Indians build there houses and tools out of

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:29AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Jakeh and Steven: There are almost 4,ooo sites at Chaco including buildings, roads, steps pecked into sandstone cliffs,petroglyphs, etc. My favorite animal is a baby bobcat that has been seen often near our houses. Other neat animals are badgers, deer, fox, coyotes, and eagles

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:30AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Ranger Bodnar what indian tribes exist there?

lae coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:31AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Are there any carvings on the side of choco canyon from indians

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:31AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Ranger Bodnar, thank you for answering us!

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:31AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Ranger Bodnar do you enjoy your work as a ranger?

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:32AM PST (-0800 GMT)
I was inspired to become a ranger when I took a trip thru the Southwest to mesa verde Carlsbad caverns and other areas. I loved all the places and became a seasonal park ranger at Carlsbad Caverns in 1981. I married a ranger at Mesa Verde in 1983 and she works at Aztec Ruins!

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:33AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Have you ever encoutered a bear in the wild?

Matt@Grandview: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:34AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What did the Anasazi Indianas eat?

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:34AM PST (-0800 GMT)
LAE coyotes: I'm here and busy trying to answer all the questions! We don't have any endagered species here, but some unusual ones: spotted bats. I got to go net them with a reseacher one night! They are really neat.

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:34AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Ranger Bodnar, Thank you for answering us again!

Marissa and Katie@Grandview: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:35AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What did they wear everyday? In ceremonies?

Jay-Jay & Cee-Bee, L.A.E. coyotes.: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:35AM PST (-0800 GMT)

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:35AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Thanks for trying so hard to answer us. THANKS

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:36AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Jakeh & Steven: When I worked at Canyon de Chelly my wife and I went backpacking in a remote canyon. We bumped into a momma bear and two cubs. She was really upset and protective of her cubs, so we left quickly. She wa a beautiful, big cinnamon colored black bear.

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:37AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Cool!

lae coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:37AM PST (-0800 GMT)
what are the wildest animals you have ever encountered

Mike and Stephanie@Grandview: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:37AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How did they get the trees from the mountains to Chaco Canyon?

Blythe@Grandview: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:38AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Where did they get buried when they died?

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:38AM PST (-0800 GMT)
That was a cool story about the bears!

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:38AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Matt: The Chaco people ate corn, beans, and sqash that they farmed. They hunted rabbits and small game, and they collected edible plants for greens, seeds, pinon nuts, and other wild plant foods.

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:38AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Do you see any types of rare wild flowers?

Katie and Marissa@Grandview: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:39AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Do we know what kind of animals they ate?

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:40AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Have you ever gotten poisoned or hurt by a plant at Chaco?

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:40AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What Kind of wild flowers are there?

Jay-Jay & Cee-Bee, L.A.E. coyotes.: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:41AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Ranger Bodnar, Have you ever found any artifacts in the ruins of Chaco Canyon

Bruns Class@Grandview: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:42AM PST (-0800 GMT)
We know that the Anasazi disappeared a long time ago. Do you have any idea where they went?

Jay-Jay & Cee-Bee, L.A.E. coyotes.: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:42AM PST (-0800 GMT)

Jay-Jay & Cee-Bee, L.A.E. coyotes.: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:42AM PST (-0800 GMT)

Jay-Jay & Cee-Bee, L.A.E. coyotes.: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:46AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Ranger Bodnar, Have you ever found any artifacts in the ancient Indian ruins? Please answer us!

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:47AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What type of habitat is there up in Chaco? Please answer us.

lae coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:48AM PST (-0800 GMT)
has it ever snowed in choco canyon

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:48AM PST (-0800 GMT)
About what is the average temperature every season at Chaco?

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:50AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What is the usual cimate up in Chaco canyon?

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:52AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Ayamie: The Chaco people used stone tools for all their work. Hard stone from mountains for hammers and mauls to break rocks. Smaller stones were made into knives, arrows, drills, etc

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:52AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What is the most natural disasters there? (earthquakes,tornados,lightning,thunder ect.)

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:52AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Are you still on the internet and /or will you come back?!!!

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:54AM PST (-0800 GMT)
If there was one animal you would want to see in Chaco, what would it be?

Jay-Jay & Cee-Bee, L.A.E. coyotes.: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:55AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Ranger Bodnar, Have you ever found any ancient artifacts in the Indian ruins?

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:55AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Are you still on line?

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:56AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Jay-Jay & Cee-Bee: At the big sites that lots of people vist, we find very few artifacts. People take the pottery and keep it, so that robs all of us from ever seeing it. Sad. We try and tell visitors to leave the pottery where they find it, so the next folks can also see it. Most people are good, but a few take things away. The pueblo people say that those artifacts belong here where the people left them 800 years ago. Many people who take artifacts have bad luck intheir lives and return them. But it is best to always leave things where you find them. Yes we find lots of artifacts.

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:56AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Are there any wolves up there? If so what kind?

Zech&Tom@L.A.E coyoties: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:56AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Has it ever snowed in Choco Canyon?

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:57AM PST (-0800 GMT)
On the average, how many different types of animals are there in Chaco?

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:58AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Have you ever helped an injured animal in Chaco?

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 9:59AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What is the migration pattern before and after the Chacoan's lived in the Cnayon - where is it thought they came from ? and where is it thought they went to ?

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:00AM PST (-0800 GMT)
About how many different types of plants are there in Chaco

Jay-Jay & Cee-Bee, L.A.E. coyotes.: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:00AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Ranger Bodnar, That's cool! Thanks for answering our question! THANK YOU!!!

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:00AM PST (-0800 GMT)
We will soon be studying Paquime to the South and saw a map that connects Mesa Verde to Chaco Canyon to Paquime on a similar lattitude. What can you tell us about the amazing Chacoan road system ? Does it follow the same lattitude north and south ? ...............In that 1896 burial discovery, what happened to those artifacts ? We would really like to get digital pictures of the artifacts - are they at UNM ?

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:01AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Twiggy & Figgy: I'm still here, but my computer is slow! Chaco's climate is extreme. We have temeperatures around 20 degrees in the winter, and it can get as cold as -38! Not a very comfortable temperature for us today. It snows, but usually it melts off in a few days. The summer temps get in the mid-90s. Summer brings spectacular thunderstorms that you can watch coming from miles away. When the rains fall hard, dry streambeds become raging torrents. We are high in elevation (6200 feet). We have rolling grasslands broken by canyons and badlands.

Zech&bryce@L.A.E coyoties: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:01AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Haas it snowed in chaco or has the climate been cold

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:01AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Please tell us about the Chacoan irrigation system to grow their food please ... where did they get water from ?

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:02AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Have any textile remnants been found that tell us what type of clothing they wore ?

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:02AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What are the habitats of the indians? What did they eat? What did they wear? What was there agriculture? What was there home made of? What was the chief's name? Was he a respectable chief?

Ayami, PHS: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:03AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Is Casa Rinconada the biggest kiva in the world ?

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:04AM PST (-0800 GMT)
About how long did the Anasazi tribes last? Up until what point?

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:04AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Thank you for answering.

LAE coyotes/Twiggy and Figgy: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:04AM PST (-0800 GMT)
We have to go now. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:05AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Jakeh & Steven: I haven't helped an injured animal here, but whenever I see a rattlesnake or gopher snake getting warm on the road, I'll stop and (carefully) move it off so it doesn't get run over. We have lots of animals here, deer, coyotes, bats, rabbits, fox, gophers, and once in a while elk come thru.

Jay-Jay & Cee-Bee, L.A.E. coyotes.: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:05AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Ranger Bodnar, Are there alot of earth quakes?

Jakeh and Steven @ L.A.E Coyotes: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:05AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Bye we are logging off now! Thank you for chatting with us! We enjoyed it!

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:06AM PST (-0800 GMT)
STUDENTS - follow these links to see the stages of Pueblo Bonito's building in Chaco Canyon ... button .... it is an animation showing each phase of building - very cool technology ....

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:08AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Here is another VRML model of Chetro Ketl also in Chaco Canyon ... button ... gotta love these software inventions !

Ayami, PHS: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:08AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Do you think people lived year round in Pueblo Bonito ? or was it a meeting place ?

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:09AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Marcy: Archareolgy can't track the migrations of people very well, so we rely on the stories told by the descendants, people from the Pueblos of Acoma, Hopi, Zuni, Zia, etc. They have stories about which clans came from which sites. They sing about those old places in their ceremonies. We think the Chaco people came from the archaic hunters and gathers who preceeded them here in the SW. Those people began to settle down in villages when corn was traded to them from Mexico. When you farm you need to stay in one place to take care of it.

Morgana, PHS: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:10AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What about the parrots that have been found - were they all Macaws from Mexico ? we read in a national geogrpahic magazine that there was once a native smaller parrot in the southwest too. Any signs of it ?

Ayami, PHS: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:11AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What about rock art - last motnh we learned about rock art across the west - what is there in Chaco ?

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:11AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Which Puebloan poeples today trace their heritage to Chaco Canyon ?

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:12AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What is the realtionship between Cnayon de Chelly and Chaco Canyon - peoples - time periods etc ? Did both areas migrate to the Rio Grande pueblo area ?

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:13AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Ayami: We think the big buildings we call great houses (like Pueblo Bonito) may have had a very small population, year round. We think that those buildings were full of people when ceremonies and trading events occured each year. Something like you would see if you went to Acoma or Zuni, or other pueblos during the ceremonies. Lots of neighbors visiting, feasting, trading, telling stories, and taking part in the activities.

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:16AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Morgana: The macaws found at Chaco were mostlt scarlet macaws from the east coast of Mexico, and military or green macaws from the west coast. All were obtained thru trade. Live birds we housed in some rooms of Bonito. We find droppings and perches for them

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:22AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Ayme: Chaco has lots of rock art! A few painted figures may be very old(archaic-4000 years old. There are lots od spirals, animals, and geometric forms. Pueblo people can recognize some as symbols of clans and migration stories. One painted one may represent a super-nova or exploding star that was seen for a month in 1054. Navajo people have lived here for at least 300 years, probably longer. They left petroglyhs of people, ceremonies, trains, Holy people, and other symbols. Hispanic sheep herders left their names, too. My favorite is Preciliano Martinez who left his name EVERYTWHERE in the canyon, as a young boy in the 1920s. So much history is here!

Morgana, PHS: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:35AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What did they string their beads on to wear as jewelry ? are there earrings and bracelets too ? Have sandals been found ?

Ayami, PHS: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:35AM PST (-0800 GMT)
If hunderds maybe thousands of people lived in Chaco canyon at a time - are there burial sites that are studied ?

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:38AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Here is an interesting page about the Fajada Butte as a solstice AND a lunar marker - rare to see study of the lunar markings .... button

Tsunami, PHS: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 10:40AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Do native peoples come back to Chaco for annual ceremonies ?

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 11:00AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Morgana: I'm not sure how Chaco people strung jewelry. It may have been with yucca fiber, cotton fiber, dog hair, etc. I'll try to find more info. At Chaco many beads were found, but the cordage had rotted away. Pendants have been found, shell bracelets, too. Turquoise was made into jewelry at every village and great house in the canyon.

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 11:08AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Ayami: Most of burials at Chaco were from excavations in the 1890s, 1920s, and some in 40s and 50s. Some burials were extraordinary and seemed to indicate high status people at the great houses and more "normal" people at the villages that surrounded the great houses. We don't excavate much any more for research, because the Pueblo descendants do not want their ancestors remains disturbed. We are working with the descendants to rebury their ancestors who were put in musuems.

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 11:12AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Tsunami: The pueblo people return to Chaco on pilgrimmages, but not always on a regular schedule. Some ceremonies require people return to a sacred site every four years. They also have places at their pueblos where they can send prayers and honor the sacred sites like Chaco. Sometimes they come at night so they will have privacy. We try and help them get to hard to reach places when they need to. It is always an honor to help the elders get back to their ancestors home.

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 11:14AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Jay-Jay & Cee-Bee: Earthquakes are not common at Chaco. We are in a relatively stable area.

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 11:14AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Russ - where are the artifacts - vs human remains - that have been excavated - at UNM or ? still trying to get some photos of them for our student projects ...

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 11:16AM PST (-0800 GMT)
We will soon be studying Paquime to the South and saw a map that connects Mesa Verde to Chaco Canyon to Paquime on a similar lattitude. What can you tell us about the amazing Chacoan road system ? Does it follow the same lattitude north and south ?

russell bodnar: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 11:33AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Wow! That was a great experience for me. This was my first on-line chat. I hope that I answered everyone's questions. Sorry about all the spelling errors. Before I sign off, I'd like to thank you for your interesting and thought-provoking questions. It is so great that you are studying about Chaco and the history of the Southwest's native peoples. Keep up the good work! When I was in school, American history began in 1492. You are very lucky to study all the great native cultures of this country and see how much they have contributed to our world. I hope that you'll be able to visit Chaco one day. I'd love to meet you and show you some of the amazing things that the native peoples built here at Chaco. I hope, too, that you get a chance to visit the Pueblo peoples of New Mexico, the Hopi, and the Navajo. They have rich and vital cultures that are still filled with traditions from the ancestral places like Chaco, even as we all enter the new millineum. Take care and all best wishes to you. Russ

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Tue, Dec 5, 11:47AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Thank you Russ - it was a brave adventure today and very fruitful .. so glad you could join us. We do plan to bring a small group of students to Chaco next year and will keep in touch ..

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