Chaco Canyon, in a remote region in northwestern New Mexico, is in a sense both the Macchu Piccu and Stonehenge of North America. The sense of presence of the Anazai is still palatable, and we wanted to capture that by documenting the fine detail of the central structure of Pueblo Bonito in gigapixel resolution. After ascending through a narrow cleft in the adjoining cliff, a serene walk along a terraced cliff edge presents a spectacular overlook to the ruin below. Shot as a 416 image high density mosaic, the 4 gigapixel image reveals detail down to each stone. Chaco contains a wealth of archeological structures of rich architectural design, from fine stonework, to astroarcheological alignments, to vast ceremonial kivas. Time lapse opportunites abound, as the structures are richly attuned to the movement of the sun and moon. An excellent and highly recommended film on the astroarcheology of Chaco Canyon by Anna Sofaer can be found here.

Team Members: Greg Downing, Eric Hanson, Debra Isaac.