Sunday, February 15, 2009

Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon



These ancient ruins in Chaco Canyon are the finest that North America has to offer north of the Rio Grande. What makes it such a special place will be largely destroyed if the 30-mile road into it is paved as has been proposed. Developers and tour buses just are not compatible with the Chaco experience.

There is a column in today's Albuquerque Journal by Leslie Linthicum on the status of the road paving proposal, and there will be a follow-up in Thursday's paper. It seems doubtful the county bureaucrats who have advanced the proposal can succeed without a massive infusion of aid. If that looks like it is going to happen, it seems to me an appropriate response would be to close access to the National Park from the north side. People really wanting to visit the place could still get in via the south road, and the blockage would effectively undercut the motives for development.

1 comment:

robert said...

Just read the article in the ABQ journal. Makes me wonder if the Chaco Canyon Casino is in the works!! I hope the road stays as is. It is one way to help preserve this beautiful historic ruin.