Pierre’s Complex. Halfway House. Twin Angels.

You probably don’t know what the heck these are, but I’m looking for them.

Pierre’s Complex and other Anasazi outliers sprinkle the pre-Colombian Great North Road out of Chaco Canyon. These small pueblos may have been rest stations for pilgrims on their way to Chaco.

They may also have marked one route out of Chaco when drought began making it uninhabitable and game began to disappear around 1250 AD.

Pierre’s has a structure that was probably a signal tower. There is evidence of repeated fire on one of the mesa tops.

To follow the tracks of the Anasazi, I need access to Pierre’s, Halfway House and Twin Angels. These sites are all on BLM land, so they’re open to the public, as long as visitors abide by the Federal Antiquities Act of 1906: no digging, removal of artifacts, or destruction of ruins.

Twin Angels and Halfway House appear to be within hiking distance of New Mexico State Highway 44/US 550 near Nageezi. I’ve travelled in northern New Mexico enough to know that summer heat isn’t recommended hiking weather. Still, my camera and I are on the tracks of the Anasazi, so I’ll plan on checking out Twin Angels next week.