The Anasazi, who were named by the Navajos, knew how to chart the
seasons by observing the sky. The biggest mystery of Chaco Canyon is why the
Anasazidecided to leave the home that they had built over so many years. the one thing
that is quite interesting is that they were able to construct such a magnificent piece of
architecture without the use of metal tools or any devices with wheels.
CHIMNEY ROCK
Chimney Rock is located about 20 miles west of Pagosa Springs, Colorado. The
construction is composed mainly of sandstone which was laid there more than 65 million
years ago. The district that Chimney Rock is located in consists of 6.12 square miles, has
91 identified areas with a total of 217 different structures.
Most of these areas were grouped into 7 communities that are located at various
places within the district. The Anasazi Indians lived in the Piedra Valley beginning about
the tine of Christ.
Most of them lives at lower elevations near the fields and they farmed
along the water beds, but some moved up onto the higher parts of Chimney Rock Mesa
around 925 A.D. They may have moved higher to avoid the cold sink effect that made the
lower areas colder in the winter, or they may have moved higher to utilize winter snow as
a water source. Still, most of the fields they planted in spring were along the waterways
on the floor of the valley or on terraces in the valleys above the river. At Chimney Rock
the people grew corn and beams, but no squash. Although squash was a mainstay of their
people in other areas, the growing season was probably too short in this region for squash
to mature before it was killed by frost.
The population of Chimney...