Ancient architecture, unexplained encounters, and a journey into the mysteries of the past
How does energy speak to you? At what wavelength does a place seem to offer another kind of vision—one accompanied by ice-cold chills slowly climbing your body?
At Pueblo Bonito, I experienced something I still struggle to explain. Goosebumps rose on my skin as I seemed to hear men fighting in a deep, circular pit—a kiva. I perceived a shadowy man near what appeared to be an entrance. He held what looked like a large wooden shield and a sharply pointed spear. I could make out a faint outline, from his feet to a feather-adorned headdress. Everything in that moment seemed black and gray. I had not expected anything like it when I approached that particular kiva at Chaco Canyon.
Chetro Ketl: Stone, Sky, and Questions
Chaco Canyon’s main archaeological sites are reached along a roughly nine-mile loop road through a landscape that once supported a remarkable Ancestral Puebloan cultural center. Construction at Chetro Ketl began around A.D. 990 and continued into the late eleventh century. Among the largest great houses in Chaco, it covers nearly three acres and is commonly estimated to have contained hundreds of rooms.
The Chaco Research Archive includes an 1849 ground plan by Edward Kern. Historical descriptions associated with the site refer to the name “Pueblo Chetho Kette,” interpreted as “the Rain Pueblo,” and describe approximately 500 rooms and two great kivas. These historical estimates are not necessarily identical to modern archaeological counts.
As we followed the designated paths through Chetro Ketl, we noticed pottery sherds and other traces of the people who had lived there. Behind the structure, the precision of the masonry became especially striking. The multilevel walls appeared to meet at remarkably clean angles, even as pieces of the surrounding mesa lay scattered by centuries of weathering.
My friend noticed the moon dropping toward the horizon while the sun rose in the opposite direction. From our vantage point, the two appeared almost perfectly aligned across the sky. We could not help wondering how the builders of Chaco understood and used such celestial relationships. Our observation was personal, not a measurement of an intentional architectural alignment, but it added to the mystery of the morning.
Chaco’s great-house era eventually declined, and the region underwent major changes during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Drought is one factor scholars consider in understanding population movement, although the timing and causes of depopulation are more complex than any single event.
Pueblo Bonito: The Encounter
Pueblo Bonito stands in partial ruins, magnificent even now. Its sweeping D-shaped footprint and extensive room blocks make it one of the most imposing great houses in Chaco Canyon. Its development spanned centuries, beginning in the ninth century and continuing into the twelfth. The Spanish name is commonly translated as “beautiful town.”
Archaeological descriptions give different room and kiva counts depending on how features and construction phases are defined. What remains unmistakable is the scale of the place: hundreds of rooms, numerous kivas, and a built environment that continues to raise questions about ceremony, community, and the organization of Chacoan life.
One particular kiva drew my attention from a distance. I felt as though it was calling to me. The sensation grew so intense that, for a moment, I seemed to lose awareness of the time passing around me. In my mind, I was positioned near what appeared to be an entrance or exit. I felt, saw, and smelled things I could not reconcile with the quiet archaeological site in front of me.
There was the shadowy man again, wearing a headdress with a few feathers. In my impression, he held a round wooden shield on one arm and a pointed spear in the other. He seemed to be guarding the opening, preventing others from leaving a violent struggle below. I remember the sensation of his turning toward me: no visible eyes, no expression, only darkness.
Then came what sounded like screaming, wood striking wood, and hard objects clattering within the circular space. The cold intensified; goosebumps traveled up and down my arms. Finally, the figure seemed to look toward me once more, and the experience ended. I cannot say what caused it or whether it reflected anything that ever occurred at that site. I can only describe how real and unsettling it felt to me.
A Friendship, a Hike, and an Unusual Sky
Tim and I met on TikTok, of all places, and immediately clicked. We share a love of the outdoors, exploration, and cannabis culture. Tim and his wife, Amanda, had learned about Chaco through their own research, and we were excited to experience it together.
The day began with an incredible sunrise and the apparent sun-and-moon alignment we observed at Chetro Ketl. Later, we saw what looked like a circular rainbow around the sun and figure-eight-shaped trails across the sky. We did not notice aircraft during our visit, though that alone cannot establish what produced the trails. Each sight gave us something else to talk about.
The day began with an incredible sunrise and the apparent sun-and-moon alignment we observed at Chetro Ketl. Later, we saw what looked like a circular rainbow around the sun and figure-eight-shaped trails across the sky. We did not notice aircraft during our visit, though that alone cannot establish what produced the trails. Each sight gave us something else to talk about.
As we walked, we tried to imagine daily life in this extraordinary place. How had people built such precise structures and sustained such a far-reaching community? Eventually, we reached the trailhead for the Pueblo Bonito Overlook. Tim and I had packed food and supplies. Partway through the long day, we also took a cannabis break with a Puffco Peak, and Tim had brought prerolls along for the trip.
The climb became intimidating in places. The overlook route involves steep, rocky sections, and Tim’s fear of heights eventually made the decision for him. He looked at me and said, “Nope. I can’t do this, man.” I told him not to worry. I was determined to get the photographs I had come for, so I continued on while he stayed behind.
The heat was relentless. The open canyon offered little vegetation and almost no shade, and after hours of hiking and photographing, I was already sunburned. But the Pueblo Bonito Overlook mattered to me. Chaco had been calling to me for more than twenty years, and reaching that vantage point felt like a kind of closure. Roughly forty minutes later, I came back down from the mesa and rejoined Tim and Amanda, eager to tell them about the experience.
The Mystery Continues
None of us was ready to leave. After more than nine hours exploring, we felt as though we had barely scratched the surface. We talked about what we had seen, what we thought it might mean, and when we could return. The ride home became one long conversation about our encounters and the next journey.
And the strange experiences did not seem to end at the canyon. Amanda and I later noticed unusual things in some of the photographs and videos taken that day. A day or two after our trip, Tim called to tell me something strange had happened to Amanda. That story deserves its own telling.
None of us was ready to leave. After more than nine hours exploring, we felt as though we had barely scratched the surface. We talked about what we had seen, what we thought it might mean, and when we could return. The ride home became one long conversation about our encounters and the next journey.
And the strange experiences did not seem to end at the canyon. Amanda and I later noticed unusual things in some of the photographs and videos taken that day. A day or two after our trip, Tim called to tell me something strange had happened to Amanda. That story deserves its own telling.
For now, I am left with the image of that kiva, the sound of a struggle I cannot explain, and a place whose history is every bit as compelling as the mysteries it inspires.
To be continued…
Sources and Historical Background
Chaco Research Archive — Chetro Ketl: https://www.chacoarchive.org/cra/chaco-sites/chetro-ketl/
Chaco Research Archive — Pueblo Bonito: https://www.chacoarchive.org/cra/chaco-sites/pueblo-bonito/
ArchEyes — Pueblo Bonito: https://archeyes.com/pueblo-bonito/
Editorial note: Firsthand impressions, perceived sounds and figures, and unusual sky observations are presented as personal experiences, not established archaeological findings. Historical dates, site counts, and interpretations should be fact-checked against authoritative sources before publication.
