The Chimney Rock Archaeological Area is located in the southwest corner of Colorado just north of the New Mexico border. It is home to hundreds of archaeological sites. One of these is the Chimney Rock Pueblo. It is known for its dramatic setting high atop Stollsteimer Mesa, which is marked by two rocky pinnacles. Archaeologists do not know for certain why this particular place was chosen for settlement or what its purpose may have been. However, based on the presence of a Chaco-style Great House and other similarities to the great cultural center of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, the Chimney Rock Pueblo is known as a Chacoan Outlier community. Of all known outliers, it is the northeastern-most, highest, and most isolated from Chaco Canyon.

While there is evidence that people were living in the Chimney Rock Archaeological Area at least as early as AD 600, these early ruins are located primarily in the valleys and lowlands below the mesa. The ruins probably represent small groups that hunted and practiced limited farming. Archaeologists disagree as to whether the indigenous population eventually began to move up to the mesa from the valley below, or whether there was an influx of new settlers from Chaco Canyon to the mesa top.

Lifestyle

The people of Chimney Rock, like their Chacoan counterparts, probably lived a communal life guided by ceremony and social traditions. They were subsistence farmers, growing corn, beans, and squash in small plots below the mesa. To supplement their diet, and during dry years, the residents of Chimney Rock would have relied on hunting, primarily small animals such as rabbits and turkeys, and on gathering the wild plants, such as banana yucca, that grew abundantly in the area.

Tools were generally made from local resources. Bones or wooden digging sticks would have been used for farming. Cutting and scraping tools made from stone or bone would have been used for processing animal hides. Stone manos and metates were for grinding corn, and bows and arrows for hunting. Pottery was used for cooking, storage, and carrying water. Clothing was made from animal hides, fur, and plant fiber, and was sewn using bone needles or awls and thread made from plant fiber.

Chacoan Connection

The structures built on the mesa top include the Chimney Rock Pueblo (Great House) and a Great Kiva. Both are similar in design and construction to those found at Chaco Canyon. Tree-ring dates resulting from excavations during the 1970s show that construction began on the Chimney Rock Pueblo in 1076, with a secondary phase taking place in 1093. Later excavations have yielded tree-ring dates as early as 1011 and 1018. The similarities between construction techniques found at the Chimney Rock Pueblo and the Great Houses in Chaco Canyon have led recent researchers to conclude that the Chimney Rock Pueblo is clearly Chacoan. It could have been built by immigrants from Chaco or by the local population under Chacoan direction.

Significant research conducted at Chimney Rock Pueblo dates back to the 1920s, but archaeologists do not agree on how to interpret the site’s function. It has been proposed that the Chimney Rock Pueblo may have played an integral role in the Chacoan economic and ritual system. It may have served as a guesthouse where people who came to the pueblo for ritual or economic purposes could stay. The pueblo may also have functioned as a source of raw materials and a resource collection point. Construction at Chaco Canyon required large amounts of timber, which was not available in Chaco Canyon but was readily available in the Chimney Rock area. Studies have shown that some of the ponderosa beams used to construct three of the Great Houses in Chaco Canyon most likely came from the San Juan Mountains near Chimney Rock.

Chimney Rock may have been part of a long-distance trade network with Chaco Canyon at the center. It has been theorized that Chaco was a ceremonial center used as a gathering place for a dispersed population. The ceremonies held at Chaco were related to the redistribution of goods (such as timber, corn, pottery, and meat). It has been suggested that Chimney Rock would have occasionally been a host for such ceremonies and would have redistributed timber and big-game meat to the non-local peoples who traveled there. In exchange, the inhabitants of Chimney Rock would have received prestige items, such as turquoise and obsidian from New Mexico. A study of feather holders, small clay objects found at both the Chimney Rock Pueblo and Chaco Canyon, demonstrated that those found at Chimney Rock were not made from local clays, thus leaving open the possibility that they were imported from Chaco.

Lunar Observatory Theory

The construction dates for the Chimney Rock Pueblo support the theory that it may have functioned as a lunar observatory. Research has demonstrated that at the time of the Northern Major Lunar Standstill, which occurs every 18.6 years, the moon rises between the two pinnacles when seen from the Chimney Rock Pueblo. The two major construction dates of the Chimney Rock Pueblo, 1076 and 1093, as well as the earlier date of 1018, coincide with the Northern Major Lunar Standstill. The 1011 date also coincides with the Northern Minor Lunar Standstill. The ability to track lunar and celestial movements would have allowed residents to keep a calendar, which could have had both practical and ceremonial functions.

Abandonment

The occupation of Chimney Rock Pueblo was brief, and by approximately 1125 the inhabitants had left. As with the reasons for its original construction, the reasons for abandonment are not entirely clear. A decline in the influence of Chaco Canyon could have had a destabilizing effect on the outliers. The growth of Aztec Ruin to the southwest at about the same time could have been a factor. In addition, the fact that the climate was becoming drier may have played a part in people’s decision to leave Chimney Rock. They went south to the Rio Grande Pueblos in New Mexico or west to the Mesa Verde, Hopi, or Zuni Pueblos.

The Chimney Rock Archaeological Area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and was designated a national monument in 2012.

The Chimney Rock Archaeological Area is located in the southwest corner of Colorado, just north of the New Mexico border. It is home to hundreds of archaeological sites. One of these sites, Chimney Rock Pueblo, is known for its dramatic setting marked by two rocky pinnacles atop Stollsteimer Mesa.

Archaeologists do not know for certain why ancient people settled at Chimney Rock. However, the presence of a Great House built in a similar style as Great Houses at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, as well as other similarities to the great cultural center of Chaco Canyon, leads archaeologists to believe that the Chimney Rock Pueblo was an outlying Chacoan community. It is the northeastern-most, highest, and most isolated outlier from Chaco Canyon.

There is evidence that people were living in the Chimney Rock Archaeological Area at least as early as AD 600. These early ruins are located primarily in the valleys and lowlands below the mesa. The ruins probably represent small groups that hunted and practiced limited farming. Archaeologists are not sure whether the indigenous population eventually began to move up to the mesa from the valley below. It is possible that new settlers came from Chaco Canyon and moved to the mesa top.

Lifestyle

The people of Chimney Rock, like their Chacoan counterparts, probably lived a communal life guided by ceremony and social traditions. They were subsistence farmers, growing corn, beans, and squash in small plots below the mesa. To supplement their diet, and during dry years, the residents of Chimney Rock would have relied on hunting. They would have hunted mostly small animals such as rabbits and turkeys. They also would have gathered the wild plants, such as banana yucca, that grew abundantly in the area.

Tools were generally made from local resources. Bones or wooden digging sticks would have been used for farming. Stone or bone cutting and scraping tools would have been used for processing animal hides. Stones called manos and metates were used for grinding corn, and bows and arrows for hunting. Pottery was used for cooking, storage, and carrying water. Clothing was made from animal hides, fur, and plant fiber, and was sewn using bone needles or awls and thread made from plant fiber.

Chacoan Connection

The structures built on the mesa top include the Chimney Rock Pueblo (Great House) and a Great Kiva. Both are similar in design and construction to those found at Chaco Canyon. Tree-ring dates from excavations during the 1970s show that construction began on the Chimney Rock Pueblo in 1076. A secondary phase probably took place in 1093. Subsequent excavations have yielded tree-ring dates as early as 1011 and 1018. There are similarities between construction techniques found at the Chimney Rock Pueblo and the Great Houses in Chaco Canyon. These have led recent researchers to conclude that the Chimney Rock Pueblo is clearly Chacoan. It could have been built by immigrants from Chaco, or by the local population under Chacoan direction.

Significant research conducted at Chimney Rock Pueblo dates back to the 1920s. Archaeologists do not agree on how to interpret the site’s function. It has been proposed that the Chimney Rock Pueblo may have played an important role in the Chacoan economic and ritual system. It may have served as a guesthouse where people who came to the pueblo for ritual or economic purposes could stay. The pueblo may also have functioned as a source of raw materials and a resource collection point. Construction at Chaco Canyon required large amounts of timber. This was not available in Chaco Canyon but was readily available in the Chimney Rock area. Studies have shown that some of the ponderosa beams used to construct three of the Great Houses in Chaco Canyon most likely came from the San Juan Mountains near Chimney Rock.

Chimney Rock may have been part of a long-distance trade network, with Chaco Canyon at the center. Researchers think that Chaco was a ceremonial center, and ceremonies there were held to redistribute goods brought from the outlying communities, such as timber, corn, pottery, and meat. It is possible that Chimney Rock residents brought timber and other local goods to these ceremonies, giving them to the broader community in exchange for things like turquoise or obsidian. In addition, some clay objects found at Chimney Rock were not made from local clays, so archaeologists think they may have been brought from Chaco.

Lunar Observatory Theory

The construction dates for the Chimney Rock Pueblo support the theory that it may have functioned as a lunar observatory. Research has demonstrated that at the time of the Northern Major Lunar Standstill, which occurs every 18.6 years, the moon rises between the two pinnacles when seen from the Chimney Rock Pueblo. The two major construction dates of the Chimney Rock Pueblo are 1076 and 1093, as well as the earlier date of 1018. These coincide with the Northern Major Lunar Standstill. The 1011 date also coincides with the Northern Minor Lunar Standstill. The ability to track lunar and celestial movements would have allowed residents to keep a calendar. This could have had both practical and ceremonial functions.

Abandonment

The occupation of Chimney Rock Pueblo was brief. The inhabitants had left by around 1125. As with the reasons for its original construction, the reasons for abandonment are not entirely clear. A decline in the influence of Chaco Canyon could have had a damaging effect on the outliers. The growth of Aztec Ruin to the southwest at about the same time could have been a factor. The fact that the climate was becoming drier may have also played a part in people’s decision to leave Chimney Rock. They may have went south to the Rio Grande Pueblos in New Mexico or west to the Mesa Verde, Hopi, or Zuni Pueblos.

The Chimney Rock Archaeological Area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. It was then designated as a national monument in 2012.

The Chimney Rock Archaeological Area is located in the southwest corner of Colorado. It is just north of the New Mexico border. It is home to hundreds of archaeological sites. One of these sites is the Chimney Rock Pueblo. It is known for its impressive setting high atop Stollsteimer Mesa. It is marked by two rock towers. Archaeologists do not know why ancient people chose to settle in this particular place.

Chimney Rock had a Great House that was made in the same style as other ones near Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. There were also other similarities to Chaco Canyon, a great civilization to the south. These similarities lead archaeologists to believe that the Chimney Rock Pueblo may have been a Chacoan community.

People were living in the Chimney Rock Archaeological Area as early as AD 600. These early ruins are located primarily in the valleys and lowlands below the mesa. The ruins probably represent small groups that hunted and practiced limited farming. Archaeologists think maybe the people moved up to the mesa from the valley below. Perhaps new settlers came from Chaco Canyon and moved to the mesa top.

Lifestyle

The people of Chimney Rock were farmers who grew their own food. They grew corn, beans, and squash in small plots below the mesa. They hunted mostly small animals such as rabbits and turkeys. They also gathered the wild plants, such as banana yucca, that grew in the area.

Tools were generally made from items in the area. Bones or wooden digging sticks would have been used for farming. Stone or bone cutting and scraping tools would have been used for preparing animal hides. Manos and metates were stones used for grinding corn, and bows and arrows were for hunting. Pottery was used for cooking, storage, and carrying water. Clothing was made from animal hides, fur, and plant fiber. Clothes were sewn using bone needles or awls. Thread was made from plant fiber.

Chacoan Connection

The Chimney Rock Pueblo (Great House) and a Great Kiva were built on the mesa top. Both look a lot like structures found at Chaco Canyon. Tree-ring dates were used to figure out that the Chimney Rock Pueblo was built starting in 1076. More building probably took place in 1093. Some tree-ring dates show building as early as 1011 and 1018. The buildings found at the Chimney Rock Pueblo and the Great Houses in Chaco Canyon are very similar. These have led recent researchers to conclude that the Chimney Rock Pueblo is clearly Chacoan. It could have been built by immigrants from Chaco, or by the local population under Chacoan direction.

In addition, construction at Chaco Canyon required a lot of timber. This was not available in Chaco Canyon, but it was available in the Chimney Rock area. Studies have shown that some of the pine beams used to construct three of the Great Houses in Chaco Canyon most likely came from the San Juan Mountains near Chimney Rock.

Chimney Rock may have been part of a long-distance trade network with Chaco Canyon at the center. Researchers think that Chaco was a ceremonial center. It could have been used as a gathering place for the surrounding population. Clay objects found at Chimney Rock were not made from local clays, so archaeologists think they may have been brought from Chaco.

Chimney Rock may also have been used as a lunar observatory. Ancient people living there could observe the moon between the two stone pillars. Tracking the moon and stars would have let residents keep a calendar. This could have had both practical and ceremonial functions.

Abandonment

The occupation of Chimney Rock Pueblo was short. The people left by 1125. Researchers are still not sure why Chimney Rock was built, or why the people left. A decline in the importance of Chaco Canyon could have had a damaging effect on other settlements. The growth of Aztec Ruin to the southwest could have been another reason why they left. The climate was also becoming drier. People might have gone south to the Rio Grande Pueblos in New Mexico or west to the Mesa Verde, Hopi, or Zuni Pueblos.

The Chimney Rock Archaeological Area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. It was then made a national monument in 2012.