troy_palmer76•1mo agoProlific Poster

The difference between photos from 1995 and 2020 at Chaco Canyon is wild

I was digging through old family albums and found some shots my dad took at Chaco Canyon back in 1995. The stone walls looked way more exposed and you could see the petroglyphs clear as day. I went myself in 2020 and noticed tons of vegetation had grown up around the ruins, hiding a lot of the detail. Turns out the park service changed their brush clearing practices to protect the site from erosion, and it made a huge difference in how the place looks. Has anyone else noticed how different archaeological sites look now compared to old photos?

2 comments

2 Comments

margaret2341mo ago

Hate to be the one to push back, but that extra vegetation might actually be hiding some things the park service doesn't want tourists to see. The petroglyphs being less visible means less chance of idiots touching them or trying to take rubbings, and the walls being covered keeps the stone from drying out and cracking in the sun. Sad to say, but sometimes less access equals more preservation in the long run, even if the photos don't look as dramatic.

fiona_clark1mo ago

Thing is, how much of that is actually intentional versus just neglect? Like, are they deliberately letting brush grow up to protect the site, or are they just underfunded and can't keep up with clearing it? Cause I've seen both - parks that actively manage erosion and foot traffic, and parks that just let stuff go because their budget got cut. Would be interesting to know which one this is.