2026 Leisure Learning Trips
ARCHEOASTRONOMY EXCURSION
with Dr. Martha Yates
May 13 - 16, 2026
Chaco Canyon & Chimney Rock
Learn why Chaco Canyon & Chimney Rock interest those who study ancient cultures.
Evidence suggests that the Ancestral Puebloans were expert skywatchers, with a knowledge of the cyclic and seasonal patterns of the sun, moon, and stars. Archeoastronomy studies the methods used by ancient cultures for following solstices, equinoxes, and other celestial events. Dr. Yates explores the earliest evidence beginning with Stonehenge (2300 b.c.e) and the 2,000 year old Nazca lines in Peru as they relate to the ancient observatories found across the southwest United States. Participants will travel to Chaco Canyon where they will experience some of the earliest known inhabitations in the American southwest, exploring the architecture and materials of structures and the varied and their distinct purposes. Participants will consider petroglyphs, pictographs and other evidence of the culture of these ancient people. Traveling east a visit to the Aztec Ruins will give participants a view of life at a later point in time, exploring the evolution of the societies and their ties to the Chacoan influence. Further east a visit to Chimney Rock, the two sandstone spires that were key to marking the changing seasons and the passage of time, will provide insights to the connections and interaction among the varied cultures of the Ancestral peoples. Along the way, Dr. Yates will delve into their way of life and how they are connected to the Puebloans now residing in northern New Mexico and the Four Corners region.
Who is Dr. Martha Yates?
Dr. Martha Yates served as Coyote District Archaeologist on the Santa Fe National Forest for many years and has taught at UCLA, the University of California Santa Barbara, and the University of Vermont. In 2008 the Secretary of the Interior and the White House appointedMartha to the Resources Advisory Council, an advisory council to the Bureau of Land Management. Martha received her BA in Archaeology/Anthropology, an MA in Philosophy of Religion from Columbia, an MA from University of Vermont in Greek/Latin, and her PhD in Classics from UCLA, which included Bronze age archaeology, along with the study of Etruscan mirror work and Linear B tablets. She was a Resident Scholar at Harvard University, studying Sanskrit and Hindu Mythology. A professional photographer as well, she has worked for the New York City Planning Commission Press Office and the Mayor’s Press Office with photos in The New York Times and on WNEW-TV News. Martha has won special archaeology awards, a Distinguished Scholars Award from University of California Santa Barbara, and many others. She is a writer with a number of publications to her credit and has won awards for her poetry.
Cost
$650 per person
Participants are responsible for their own travel and lodging, these costs are not included in the trip fee. Max enrollment: 15
Explore
Images of Chaco Canyon, Chimney Rock, and previous leisure learning trips.
