Stories from the Road – Chaco Canyon, New Mexico

Knowing there’d be no state troopers in this rugged, parched region, we let Johnny, our nine-year-old, help drive the twenty-four-foot RV over thirteen miles of dusty, bumpy, deeply rutted road to Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Chaco Canyon holds the ruins of a vibrant civilization from between the ninth and twelfth centuries and is considered the ancestral homeland to many Native American tribes—including the Hopi, Zuni, and Navajo.

 

We arrive after dark, and Johnny and Charlie stay up late, sitting on the roof of our camper oohing and wowing at the Milky Way and a meteor shower that stripes the massive midnight sky.

 

Johnny had read about how the Chacoans used astronomy and the paths of the sun and the moon in their design of dwellings, a technique known as astroarcheology. Visiting Chaco Canyon during a major celestial event—the spring equinox—would deepen our connection to this curious place known for its alignment with the heavens.

 

We wake early and hike from the campground to Casa Rinconada, a layered complex of rocks and ruins. The rising sun shines on an east-facing wall, casting golden light on ancient orange sandstone. Our cold toes tingle on the earthen floor while we three smiling visitors stand in the glow of history.

 

As we wander in and around the site, Johnny leads us into an underground room called a kiva, used by Chacoans for meetings and worship. The kiva has a firepit, a wind block, and a sandstone bench around the entire perimeter of the round room.

 

Later that afternoon, back at the campground, we notice Johnny sitting comfortably, cross-legged, on the ground by himself, moving pebbles around. He had brushed a canvas of ground and collected a pile of small stones. He carefully forms an outer circle and layers pebbles to form the rock bench. He then creates a mini firepit in the center and makes a pebble wind block.

 

“I wanted to create my own little room, like the kiva,” says Johnny boy, who never thought he was any good at art or history.

 

For more stories and inspiration, check out our book, Wonder Year: A Guide to Long-Term Family Travel and Worldschooling. You can also sign up for our quarterly newsletter below and follow us on Instagram @wonderyeartravel. Our mission is to help you find your way out the door and into the world.