Quiet. Except for the wind and the occasional raven, very little else stirs here on the broad flat lands of the Colorado Plateua at the head of Chaco Canyon. Pueblo Pintado is one of the truly exceptional Great Houses build by the Ancestral Puebloans over 1000 years ago. Pueblo Pintado is located some distance away from 'Downtown Chaco', the main cluster of Great Houses that include Chetro Ketl, Pueblo Bonito, and Hungo Pavi. As such, archeologists refer to Pueblo Pintado at an outlier.
Chaco Canyon in general, and Pueblo Pintado have had a hold on me since my first visits years ago. I cannot explain it. Neither do I want an explanation. I am content to just be here, enjoying a quiet evening, thinking of the many beautiful sunsets the once graced and still grace the residents of this special place.
