One thousand years ago, the ancestral Pueblo selected a spot, high above the Peidra River, between Durango and Pagosa Springs in Southwest Colorado, to build a village. The site is a difficult one – nearly 1,500 feet above the river valley up a steep, knife-edge ridge. With a beautiful and strategic panoramic view of the surrounding area, the Pueblo brought wood and block construction materials to build a 200-room village with a great house, and several round kivas.
Three years ago, on Sept. 21, 2013, Chimney Rock became a national monument declared by President Obama. While Colorado congressional support was strong in both chambers, and Rep. Scott Tipton got his bill through the House, progress stalled in the Senate. All agreed at that point to request that the president use his authority under the Antiquities Act to declare Chimney Rock a national monument.
Chimney Rock is a spiritual place. While the dominant culture marvels at the physical accomplishment of those who lived here long ago, their Pueblo descendants see yet another dimension that is even more important to them. A visit for a Pueblo person to a site is not simply to marvel at past accomplishments or to contemplate the economic development potential that a place like this offers the surrounding communities. They see this place still with the presence of those who lived and died here a thousand years ago. They come back to see their ancestors present in spirit form and to feel welcomed by them with tender loving care just as any grandmother or grandfather would do when grandchildren come to visit.
Chimney Rock holds celestial importance, and, no doubt, that’s part of the rationale for the creation of the site. Every 18.6 years, the moon appears to hang between the two spires of Chimney Rock and Companion Rock in what astronomers call a lunar standstill. A lunar standstill is best explained like this: The moon’s orbit around Earth wobbles, gradually causing the moon to rise at different points on the horizon over the years. The entire cycle of wobbling north to south and north again takes 18.6 years. At the end of each cycle, the moon appears to rise at the same point on the horizon for about three years. Then it begins to move back toward the opposite end of the swing. There’s no doubt this celestial occurrence played a part in the decision of the Pueblo to build here. Archaeological investigation shows that each period of significant construction at Chimney Rock took place on that 18.6 year cycle (that is, in the year 1018, 1076 and 1093.)
As incredible as Chimney Rock may seem, to the Pueblo, it is one of many other thousands of sites throughout the area. The Pueblos trace their cultures and languages back to these sacred places and to the people who once lived there in human form. In recent years, passing this gift of heritage on to their young has become more and more challenging because of the impingement of the fast-paced, seemingly more glamorous world of the outside. It is at a place like Chimney Rock that the present-day descendants feel closest to the generations that paved the road of life for them and trust they will continue to do just that. Pueblo people reunite with their ancestors prayerfully, always in gratitude for the gifts of language and culture that have seen them through some incredible challenges they’ve had to face under the dominance of three outside governments. They continue to petition their grandmothers and grandfathers for guidance and inspiration for the continuance of the old ways for their own children and those who are yet to be born.
The designation of Chimney Rock as a national monument shows the world that we care about the rich, deep history of Colorado and the West. It acknowledges the long-overdue respect for the tribal peoples and says that all Americans value those areas that are sacred or traditionally important to them. To this day, tribal groups make use of the resources at Chimney Rock and hold regular dances in the shadow of the double spires.
It also tells the world that, in addition to the spiritual and cultural importance of these sites, that protecting them is good business. Economic research done before its designation showed that the area around Chimney Rock would experience growth in the tourism and hospitality arenas. While we haven’t seen a quick, dramatic uptick of visitation to Chimney Rock since its designation, we are now guaranteed that it will be there forever awaiting those who want to enjoy its splendor.
It now stands for all time as a protected national monument. That means our children’s children and their children, and those for seven generations and more, will be able to visit Chimney Rock National Monument and see it as we see it today and as the ancestral Pueblo saw it when they selected it as a place to build their very special village.
Deborah Gangloff is the president and CEO of Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez. Reach her at dgangloff@crowcanyon.org. Joseph Suina is the former governor of Cochiti Pueblo and professor emeritus at the University of New Mexico. Reach him at jsuina@unm.edu.
