The next couple of days were dedicated to visiting more ancient Pueblo site, including the biggest that they built, Chaco.  From Durango we drove south to the small town of Aztec where we went to the half excavated ruins of, surprisingly, Aztec.  The name comes from the Spanish explorers who just called everything that they found north of Mexico after the tribe from originated in Central Mexico.  The real Aztecs never settled in this area although there is proof that the Ancient Pueblo did trade with the tribe from the south, of all things chocolate has been found in traces at these sites.  The ruin is on a bank of the regular running river which is something that Mesa Verde didn't have and to me would seem like a huge advantage for any type of settlement however just like Mesa Verde, the settlement was last occupied in early 1300's after the tribes up and left for that unknown reason.  Aztec is not a huge village but the areas that have been excavated show a planned and functional village.  The archaeologists have even rebuilt the Grand Kiva to what the evidence suggests it would have looked like, and it's a rather impressive place to have the town gatherings, very surreal.

Further south is the largest complex ever built (or found so far) of the Ancient Pueblos named Chaco.  It's situated in a small valley with a central stream and 20m high cliffs along both sides giving it excellent protection and some seasonal water.  But Archaeologists believe that this wasn't a permanent settlement but a central place for all the tribes to gather and talk.  Further investigation has shown some remarkable 'coincidences' with regard to astronomical events; winter and summer solstices, north-south alignments to name a few.  Also there is some evidence that echoes from the canyon walls influenced the positioning of the buildings and in one section it is clearly visible that the Ancients cleared away the rubble and scree at the bottom of one section, and then chipped out the wall, to make the echo better.  I'm not sure how or why they would want to do this, even why today's people noticed it, but if its all true then it shows a group of people that were very aware of what they wanted and how to get it.  The ruins here are in a lot worse condition than in Mesa Verde because of the fact that they were left out in the open to all the elements.  When first discovered it was just a pile of rubble that has had sand blown over it and the vegetation take hold.  What we see today is the best effort to study and preserve the area all at the same time.  The archaeologists have determined that the buildings here, especially at the site known as Pueblo Bonito, that there could have been up to 5 stories, all using simple stone construction with little to no mortar, which I find remarkable.  The other remarkable thing, to get up the cliff face they chiseled away at the rock to create 'Chacoan Stairways', and there is no way known that I would attempt to go up the cliff that way.  I've used the word 'remarkable' a lot here at this place but I couldn't think of another word to describe it, I was so under prepared to discover what these peoples could truly achieve.  I'd always thought of the ancient Indians as savages who all they do is hunt.  Dam those Hollywood movies ...

Not long to go on our Mid-West adventure, its time to start heading west back to Las Vegas.