SnakeMedicine_Book1
first in a series of personal odysseys that explore sacred earth sites. A joint project by photographer Scott Angus and Emily Sopensky. first in a series of personal odysseys that explore sacred earth sites. A joint project by photographer Scott Angus and Emily Sopensky.
ON LOCATION 7 I C H A C O C A N Y O N , N E W M E X I C O Chaco Canyon is both an archeological and spiritual landmark. Chaco Canyon is one of UNESCO’s twenty-one U.S. sites, joining the World Heritage Committee’s list of recognized sites in 1987. The name “Chaco Canyon” is ubiquitous in the U.S. Southwest. Commercially it is attached to products attractive to visitors eager to take something back home that is of mysterious origins. Everyone has heard about Chaco Canyon, or at least is familiar with the name. Yet it is remote enough to be elusive to many who visit Santa Fe. To experience the remains of the Anasazi civilization, most are satisfied by touring Bandelier National Park, not far from Los Alamos, an hour from Santa Fe. Chaco Canyon on the other hand, is at least a four-hour westerly drive from Santa Fe, much of it on unpaved roads. There are no services close by the park—no gas stations, no restaurants, no hotels. Even drinking water is available only in the visitors’ center. Getting there is a mission in itself. About 170 miles west of Santa Fe, travelers there opt for a very long day trip or campout overnight. One of the beauties of the site is its relative remoteness from twenty-first century comforts. The 10-mile, high-desert canyon has fascinated archeologists, archeoastrono mers, scientists and visitors for centuries. The excavation of the many villages and buildings in the canyon has raised many questions about solar and other astral alignments. The Chacoan roadway system, discovered by NASA’s flyovers using thermal multispectral scanner (TIMS) in 1982, is of such exacting linearity despite topographic obstruction that it confounds current roadway technology. Intensely studied for over a century, the lure of Chaco Canyon only raises many unanswered questions. 30
Undulating Seams. Shot at high noon.
- Page 5 and 6: SACRED EARTH SITES: SEEING THE UNSE
- Page 8 and 9: TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S PREFAC
- Page 10 and 11: THE ITINERARY 1. MONTICELLO, VIRGIN
- Page 12 and 13: ON LOCATION 1 I M O N T I C E L L O
- Page 15 and 16: C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t
- Page 17 and 18: Bear Mound, Iowa. Bear Mound - Effi
- Page 19 and 20: C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t
- Page 21 and 22: “Wineman’s” Bluff, Missouri.
- Page 23 and 24: C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t
- Page 25 and 26: Mountain Ridge, Colorado Plateau, C
- Page 27 and 28: C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t
- Page 29 and 30: Stone Circle, Colorado. Stone Circl
- Page 31 and 32: C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t
- Page 33 and 34: Endless Embrace. Scruff in the fore
- Page 35: C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t
- Page 40 and 41: Eternal Sky Meets Age-old Artifices
- Page 43 and 44: C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t
- Page 45: Beyond Approach. Cliffs drop off to
- Page 48 and 49: ON LOCATION 9 I BLACK MESA, ARIZONA
- Page 50 and 51: A Stairway (Black Mesa, Arizona). S
- Page 52 and 53: ON LOCATION 10 I S U P E R S T I T
- Page 54 and 55: The Stillness of a Whisper. Apache
- Page 56 and 57: ON LOCATION 11 I B O R D E R , A R
- Page 58 and 59: Arizona-Nevada border, north of the
- Page 60 and 61: ON LOCATION 12 I A N A S A Z I R U
- Page 62 and 63: The Winding Way. Arizona Anasazi Ru
- Page 64 and 65: ON LOCATION 13 I Z U N I L A N D S
- Page 66 and 67: Split Tree in Black-and-White. A Zu
- Page 68 and 69: ON LOCATION 14 I E S C A L A N T E
- Page 70 and 71: Bleak Plateau. In black-and-white,
- Page 72 and 73: Sagacious Sage. A backward glance c
- Page 74 and 75: Sage Glance. The black and white ta
- Page 76 and 77: Waves Frozen in Motion. This image
- Page 78 and 79: Holding Pen. So much more depth sho
- Page 80 and 81: Escalante Plateau - the Fortress. S
- Page 82 and 83: Escalante Plateau Crevasse. The con
- Page 84 and 85: ON LOCATION 15 I C A P I TO L R E E
ON LOCATION<br />
7 I C H A C O C A N Y O N , N E W M E X I C O<br />
Chaco Canyon is both an archeological and spiritual landmark.<br />
Chaco Canyon is one of UNESCO’s twenty-one U.S. sites, joining<br />
the World Heritage Committee’s list of recognized sites in 1987.<br />
The name “Chaco Canyon” is ubiquitous<br />
in the U.S. Southwest. Commercially it is<br />
attached to products attractive to visitors<br />
eager to take something back home that is<br />
of mysterious origins. Everyone has heard<br />
about Chaco Canyon, or at least is familiar<br />
with the name. Yet it is remote enough to<br />
be elusive to many who visit Santa Fe.<br />
To experience the remains of the Anasazi<br />
civilization, most are satisfied by touring<br />
Bandelier National Park, not far from Los<br />
Alamos, an hour from Santa Fe.<br />
Chaco Canyon on the other hand, is at<br />
least a four-hour westerly drive from Santa<br />
Fe, much of it on unpaved roads. There are<br />
no services close by the park—no gas stations,<br />
no restaurants, no hotels. Even<br />
drinking water is available only in the visitors’<br />
center. Getting there is a mission in<br />
itself. About 170 miles west of Santa Fe,<br />
travelers there opt for a very long day trip<br />
or campout overnight. One of the beauties<br />
of the site is its relative remoteness from<br />
twenty-first century comforts.<br />
The 10-mile, high-desert canyon has<br />
fascinated archeologists, archeoastrono mers,<br />
scientists and visitors for centuries. The<br />
excavation of the many villages and buildings<br />
in the canyon has raised many questions<br />
about solar and other astral alignments.<br />
The Chacoan roadway system, discovered<br />
by NASA’s flyovers using thermal multispectral<br />
scanner (TIMS) in 1982, is of such<br />
exacting linearity despite topographic<br />
obstruction that it confounds current roadway<br />
technology. Intensely studied for over<br />
a century, the lure of Chaco Canyon only<br />
raises many unanswered questions.<br />
30