The Chaco Culture Conservancy supports the National Park Service by harnessing the power of philanthropy. With the help of donors like you, the Conservancy funds imperative projects at Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Aztec Ruins National Monument. Our funding focuses on projects that promote preservation, trails, and access. Without the help of philanthropic partners, the projects and programs that make your national park experience great may go unfunded! Partners like us work hard to ensure that our public lands are safe, fun, and educational spaces for diverse communities to enjoy.
+ Perishable Object Analysis
+ Improvements to Natural Storage Shed
+ LiDAR Scanning at Pueblo Bonito
+ Chaco Archival Resources
+ Accession Cabinet
Architecture in Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Aztec Ruins National Monument may be 1,000 years old… or older! These buildings and the ground that they were built on are ever-changing. As the earth moves, ancient walls shift and warp and as climate change takes its toll on New Mexico, some of the great houses in Chaco Culture feel its effects.Preservation of these great houses is truly urgent work!
In 2023, the Chaco Culture Conservancy funded the first use of LiDAR technology at Pueblo Bonito. This approach to preservation was so successful that the parks implemented it as the first step in their architecture documentation protocol. So, when cultural resources Scenario Planning and Climate Change Adaptation studies showed that Pueblo del Arroyo is the most at risk publicly visited site, NPS began using LiDAR technology to document it.
In 2024 and 2025, the Conservancy funded nearly $20,000 worth of scanning to document at-risk rooms in Pueblo del Arroyo. With your help, NPS has implemented this 3D technology to create a process for monitoring changes that will ultimately help make decisions about the best ways to preserve and protect Pueblo del Arroyo and other buildings. As climate change and rising flood waters continue to threaten this great house, we have worked together to ensure its preservation for as long as possible!
+ Trail Registers
+ Shade Structures
+ Audio Tour
+ Trails Training
The hot New Mexico sun beating down on Chaco Canyon can have park visitors rushing back to the parking lot to find a place to sit and rest. But, it is within these ancient buildings that many visitors take in the awe-inspiring landscape that was home to the Ancestral Pueblo peoples for hundreds of years.
Benches throughout Chaco Culture National Historical Park make these moments possible. Not only do they offer a much needed resting place as you tour around the great houses, but they provide places for quiet reflection.
At Pueblo Bonito and Pueblo del Arroyo, four wooden benches are being replaced with new stone seats. The stone, sourced from inside the canyon, will create a more welcoming experience for visitors. The benches will encourage you to sit and rest, while blending in seamlessly to the surrounding architecture. Stone benches will last longer than the current wooden benches and will create less maintenance for NPS. We hope that next time you visit Pueblo Bonito and Pueblo del Arroyo, you take a moment to rest on a stone bench that your generous donations made possible!
+ Visitor WiFi at Chaco Culture
+ Centennial Park Events
+ Renovations at Volunteer Campground
+ Support for Tribal Consultations
+ Research Projects
Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Aztec Ruins National Monument are considered the ancestral homelands to 26 affiliated Tribes and Pueblos.
Throughout the year, both parks host Indigenous dance groups, cultural demonstrators, and guest speakers during special events. Inviting these artists and educators into the parks gives visitors the opportunity to learn from the descendants whose ancestors survived and thrived on the landscape. It also gives Indigenous peoples opportunities to dance, sing, speak, and create on their ancestral homelands. Your contributions to the CCC have supported these individuals as they travel to and perform at the parks every year since the Conservancy was established!
