Piecing Together the Puzzle of an Early American Civilization

In an endless universe, some of the greatest mysteries are right here on Earth. One of North America’s most perplexing archeological sites is explored in the documentary “The Mystery of Chaco Canyon,” premiering tonight at 8 on KCET-TV.

Narrated by Robert Redford, “The Mystery of Chaco Canyon” is an intriguing, in-depth look at the designs and cultural significance of what remains of the massive stone structures and roads created by Native Americans from 850 to 1150 AD. As few as 20 years ago, many archeologists theorized the buildings that dotted the desert landscape of the San Juan basin in northwest New Mexico were trade centers for the ancient Anasazi Indian civilization.

However, that theory would be reexamined after the 1977 discovery of spiral petroglyphs (rock carvings) atop a butte in Chaco Canyon that indicated via light and shadows both the cycle of the sun and the lesser-known 19-year cycle of the moon.

The find radically altered the study of the sites as it became evident that the structures were not randomly situated but meticulously plotted over an area of 20,000 square miles by a civilization with no sophisticated equipment, metal tools or written language. Theorists began to believe the Chacoans used astronomical alignments as a guide for the immense buildings, a celestial blueprint, so to speak.

This documentary reminds us that the land that makes up the U.S. was lived upon prior to both Christopher Columbus and Plymouth Rock. The indigenous peoples had their own cultures and traditions, the ruins at Chaco Canyon being evidence of the scope of their ingenuity. With striking use of time-lapse photography and 3-D computer graphics, an arid desert landscape becomes a puzzle of the ages; the ruins a prehistoric symbol to bond heaven and earth.

That the construction of the Chaco Canyon structures spanned 12 generations is a testament to the commitment of a culture. Director Anna Sofaer adroitly integrates footage of several of the buildings and roads with the theories and viewpoints of archeologists and Pueblo Indians, the Chacoans’ modern-day descendants.

While “The Mystery of Chaco Canyon” is a compelling follow-up to Sofaer’s well-received 1982 documentary “The Sun Dagger,” it must be kept in mind that too often in today’s society, film as an “archival record” morphs over time into history itself. The greatest strength of Sofaer’s direction is her straightforward take on the Chaco Canyon phenomenon. Both facts and theories are offered but not professed as absolute truth. The film provides new information and discoveries.

“The Mystery of Chaco Canyon” superbly explores an enigma in the desert and sheds light (literally) on the constant quest of humanity to create order and patterns from the unknown--the Chacoans did a millennium ago with their structures, and archeologists are currently doing so with its ruins. What lingers in Sofaer’s film is a remarkable mix of mysticism and science that is Chaco Canyon.

* “The Mystery of Chaco Canyon” can been seen tonight at 8 on KCET-TV.