Chaco Meridian

The Chaco Meridian is a theoretical north-south axis on which lie the Ancestral Puebloan sites, Aztec Ruins and Chaco Canyon, as well as Paquime at Casas Grandes in northern Mexico. Archeologist Stephen H. Lekson developed the theory, which suggests the location of these sites on the same approximate line of longitude (107°57'25") was intentional, and represents a ceremonial connection between them.

Lekson based his theory on architectural similarities between the sites, such as colonnades, stone disks, and room-wide platforms. He also theorized that after the Ancestral Puebloans abandoned Chaco Canyon, they settled at Aztec Ruins during the mid-12th century and Paquime during the mid-13th century. The Chacoan Great North Road lies near the meridian, and many of the ancient roads in the area appear to follow the meridian toward key sites in the area.

In 2009 in Archeology Magazine, he amended the list of sites on the "meridian" to include Shabik’eschee, which is south of Chaco, and Sacred Ridge near Durango, Colorado.

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