• Overlooking Chetro Ketl

    Chaco Culture

    National Historical Park New Mexico

Benign Neglect

This is a phrase used to describe the type of preservation treatment that is used at the vast majority of sites in Chaco. Each structure is thoroughly documented, a careful condition assessment is made, monitoring and evaluations are done on a routine cycle, but no hands-on preservation treatment is performed. Many of the sites in this category of preservation treatment are relatively stable and do not need to be interfered with, so benign neglect is appropriate.

Did You Know?

Aerial photo of Chetro Ketl

While the rocks at Chaco Canyon are the same type of rocks as found at Mesa Verde National Park, there are no large alcoves at Chaco Canyon. A layer of clay in the sandstone at Mesa Verde causes alcoves to form and that layer is missing in Chaco Canyon. More...