ARCHEOASTRONOMY EXCURSION

with Dr. Martha Yates

May 13 - 16, 2026

 

Enrollment begins November 15

 

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.

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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.