Pueblo Bonito (Spanish for beautiful town) is the largest and best-known great house in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, northern New Mexico. It was built by the Ancestral Puebloans who occupied the structure between AD 828 and 1126.Add Pueblo Bonito and other attractions to your Nageezi trip itinerary using our Nageezi day trip planner.
According to the National Park Service, "Pueblo Bonito is the most thoroughly investigated and celebrated cultural site in Chaco Canyon. Planned and constructed in stages between AD 850 to AD 1150 by ancestral Puebloan peoples, this was the center of the Chacoan world."
Anthropologist Brian Fagan has said that "Pueblo Bonito is an archeological icon, as famous as England's Stonehenge, Mexico's Teotihuacan, or Peru's Machu Picchu."
In January 1941, a section of the canyon wall known as Threatening Rock, or tse biyaa anii'ahi (leaning rock gap) in Navajo, collapsed as a result of a rock fall, destroying some of the structure's rear wall and a number of rooms. The builders of Pueblo Bonito appear to have been well aware of this threat, but chose to build beneath the fractured stone anyway. The wall stood 97 feet (30 m) high and weighed approximately 30,000 tons; the Puebloans compensated by building structural reinforcements for the slab.
In 2009, traces of Mexican cacao from at least 1,200 miles (1,900 km) away were detected in pottery sherds at Pueblo Bonito. This was the first demonstration that the substance, important in rituals, had been brought into the area that became the United States at any time before the Spanish arrived around 1500. Cylindrical pottery jars, common in Central America, had previously been found there, but are rare. 111 jars have been found in Pueblo Bonito's 800 or so rooms.
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Pueblo Bonito reviews
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This is the main archeological site at the Chaco Culture National Park. It is very well preserved. Some buildings are five floors tall. It has many kivas where the Pueblo met to make decisions and...
This is the main archeological site at the Chaco Culture National Park. It is very well preserved. Some buildings are five floors tall. It has many kivas where the Pueblo met to make decisions and... more »
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The largest of the Chacoan Great Houses. This shows the progression of construction over the centuries. The ingenuity and skill of craftsmanship is truly amazing. Don't miss going through the rooms.... more
The largest of the Chacoan Great Houses. This shows the progression of construction over the centuries. The ingenuity and skill of craftsmanship is truly amazing. Don't miss going through the rooms.... more »
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There is no informational signage. Buy the guide sold in the museum ($2-3). Otherwise, you will not know what you are seeing.
There is no informational signage. Buy the guide sold in the museum ($2-3). Otherwise, you will not know what you are seeing. more »
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This is a must see place, better enter the park in the morning when they open the gate. A lot of time needed to exploring the whole area, if you like to hike, add at less once more day. By the way, the last 15 miles unpaved road is hard on your car, be ready.
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What a beautiful site!! If you like learning about our Native American history, this is a place to start your journey!!!
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We spent the day exploring the ruins and hiking. Bring food along with you. It is remote and there are no food services.
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What an enchanting place, also very historic and spiritual. Pueblo Bonito is a very calm and cool place. I would recommend going to any family or couple.
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Definitely the most amazing pueblo ruins! So happy we waited for the cooler fall temps. We loved all of Chaco Canyon but sadly will never be back. The road to get here is awful.
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