Chimney Rock

As with most prominent geological features in this part of the West, Chimney Rock is of considerable significance to both the present Native Americans and the Anasazi, or Ancestral Puebloans.

          We’ve driven past it several times over the years. It’s on the way to Pagosa Springs and eventually east to the Denver Road or towards Santa Fe, New Mexico, and points south.

          As you can see from the photo, it’s almost impossible to miss.

          Apparently the Old Ones thought so too. There is ample evidence of habitations up there. Pueblo’s, kiva’s, storage rooms, and the like, abound both near the summit and at its base (which is still a long trek from the valley floor.)

          Since there isn’t anyone around from approximately a thousand years ago, we have to rely on current studies of these edifices and some practical knowledge of living back then to give us an idea of how this aerie was probably used. At 7600 feet of elevation, the winter snows make it improbable that it was inhabited year-round. More likely it was used primarily as a ceremonial site. One which, if you observe the vast pueblo that was built here, had great importance to them.

          There is one hugely significant detail about Chimney Rock that distinguishes it from any other place in the world.

          It is an archaeo-astronomical site.

          So is Stone Henge and the others like it around the world.

          But, all of those were constructed by man, to help him chart, understand, and predict events like solstices and equinoxes.

          This site was discovered by The Old Ones. It was constructed by Nature!

          It just so happens that every 18.6 years or so (the length of a full lunar cycle) the moon “stands still” in between the spires of Chimney Rock and its neighbor Companion Rock.

          It’s called by a very official, informative, and obvious name, an MLS or a “Major Lunar Standstill”

          I don’t know about you, but I have trouble remembering what happened 18.6 days ago, never mind 18.6 years ago! It kind of illustrates how the ancient cultures devoted copious amounts of time, and resources, to the art of observing the events unfolding above them. The first tree ring dating’s of construction of this site are from 1076, which was a MLS year, and a second construction phase was dated to 1093/1094, the next MLS!

Coincidence?

Maybe.

          As you may imagine, this is the place to be every 18.6 years!

          The next MLS is scheduled to begin……..

          NOW!

          In 2021!

          The National Forest Service already has a list of wanna-be-participants. These are ranked in order of preference (importance?) in which, thankfully, the local Native Americans supersede all others. These include the Utes, Navajos, Hopi’s, and other pueblo tribes that can trace their ancestry back to The Old Ones and this region. This issue is compounded by the relatively small area at the top and the extremely small knife-edge trail (see photo) that one must traverse in order to get here. Compounding this issue is the Media, who want, or feel, the need (?) to be there with cameras and their on-air personalities.

          We shall see.

          In any event, the view from up there is nothing short of magnificent, but then, you are gazing down at some of America’s most beautiful landscapes in Colorful Colorado.

           They live up to their moniker nicely!