Chaco Canyon, Aztec, and Salmon Great Pueblos and Other Archaeological Sites

 “Chaco Canyon, Aztec, and Salmon Great Pueblos and Other Archaeological Sites” Old Pueblo Archaeology Center educational tour with archaeologist Marc Severson. Drive your own vehicle and meet tour in Gallup, NM, on Thursday; actual touring begins Friday and continues through Sunday, with optional (extra-cost) Monday visit to sites on the Zuni Indian Reservation.

            Fee for Friday-Sunday touring: $195 ($175 for Old Pueblo Archaeology Center and Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary members); fee for individual days including optional Monday trip to Zuni area: $70 per day ($60/day for Old Pueblo and PGMA members). Participants are responsible for their own transportation, meals, and lodging. Tour leader will stay at Red Lion Hotels in Gallup and Farmington. Hotels, camping, and other accommodations for those who wish to arrange their own lodging are available in and near Gallup and Farmington; camping in Chaco Canyon is available first come, first served.

            The archaeological sites in Chaco Canyon are some of the most famous, yet enigmatic, sites in the Southwest. A World Heritage Site, Chaco attracts thousands of visitors each year, yet most people see only sand, mud, rock walls, and a treeless desolate landscape. Old Pueblo’s tour will take you beyond the simple brochures and photo-ops to explore the multiple contexts of the people who created these magnificent structures. We not only examine sites within Chaco Canyon, but also outlier sites north and south of the canyon proper. The tour is guided by Marc Severson, who has worked as a professional archaeologist and educator since 1972 and is a 20-year-veteran leader of southwestern tours for Pima Community College and Old Pueblo. Tentative itinerary:

      Thursday: Travel day to meet at Red Lion Hotel, Gallup, NM, check in with Marc or in the Red Lion lobby by 7 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time, and stay overnight in Gallup. Friday: Drive from Gallup to Chaco Canyon to tour Great House sites on its north side. Afterward drive to Farmington, NM, to stay overnight. Saturday: Tour Aztec Ruins in morning, Salmon Ruins in afternoon. Stay in Farmington overnight. Sunday: Drive from Farmington to Chaco Canyon to tour “Small House sites” and Casa Rinconada Great Kiva on its south side. If time permits on the way back to Gallup we will visit the Pueblo Pintado Chacoan Outlier archaeological site. Stay overnight in Gallup. Monday option: Drive from Gallup to Zuni Pueblo to visit Our Lady of Guadalupe historic mission church built in 1629; its interior walls feature murals illustrating traditional Zuni ceremonial life (the life’s work of Alex Seowtewa and his sons). Also we will visit the Village of the Great Kivas Chacoan Outlier site, the Zuni Eagle Rehabiliation center, and the home of the Lalios to see their native pottery and jewelry. 

      Deadline for the required reservations is Friday September 12: 520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org.

Click here for a flyer containing more information.