Pueblo del Arroyo, Pueblo Bonito, and Chetro Ketl

From the exhibition:
Oblique Views: Archaeology, Photography, and Time

Museum of Indian Arts and Culture

The minimal shadows cast by cliffs and walls in this photograph show that it, like its matching Lindbergh image of three great houses—Pueblo del Arroyo, Pueblo Bonito, and Chetro Ketl—was taken sometime close to solar noon. Although it’s high summer in a national park, human activity is low, perhaps because of the heat. A few cars are parked or being driven on roads, but the historic buildings, the ongoing archaeological fieldwork, and the ranching infrastructure that made the 1929 photograph so lively are missing. The park service made a conscious decision to remove historic structures, believing that they distracted from the more ancient Chaco period structures and features that the park was established to protect. Park service roads, parking lots, and trails both guide and constrain the visitor experience, and the landscape now appears comparatively barren. Photograph by Adriel Heisey, 2008.

Usage: Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts and Culture

Credit: Photograph by Adriel Heisey


Note: Representative image at left is often cropped for display purposes. Downloaded high-resolution images are not cropped.