As we followed the loop road to the other side of the canyon, there were several other settlements to explore.

Then we came to where the second Chacoan Stairway was.

Without the help of a sign showing us where it is, we might have missed it.

The bottom had fallen away.

But luckily I was able to zoom in on it.  Like the first stairway on the other side of the canyon behind Hungo Pavi (see blogpost here), these steps were carved into the canyon wall by these ingenious people in order to climb up to the top of the mesa to the elaborate road system that connected all outer settlements with this place.

As we passed the Visitor’s Center and began to exit the canyon, there was one more thing to see that was very exciting.

This is Fajada Butte.  It is a huge outstanding landform layered with the Menefee Formation on the bottom and Cliff House Sandstone on the top.  It is a sacred place for the Pueblo, Hopi and Navajo people.  It is part of their stories of history and migration and their ongoing tradition.

Chacoan Astronomers called Skywatchers used this site to calculate important times of the year.

 Sunlight shining through three boulder slabs would cast a dagger-like ray onto a petroglyph on the rock wall behind.

The point where the ray hit on the petroglyph allowed the Chacoan Skywatchers to calculate important days for planting crops and holding ceremonies.

And so we took the road out of Chaco Canyon and Chaco Culture National Historic Park, taking new enlightenment with us.  There are many, many theories about what transpired here both on a spiritual level and a practical one.

If you would like to become a supporter of Chaco Canyon, and learn more about what goes on here today as well as yesterday, the Friends of Chaco website is here.  The NPS web page is here.