Jun 3, 2024 · Department of Cultural Affairs

ADVISORY: Premiere of Written on the Landscape brings mysteries of Chaco Canyon to NM Museum of Natural History & Science

Hi Everyone,

The New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science (NMMNHS) is proud to host the premiere of Anna Sofaer’s latest film, Written on the Landscape: Mysteries Beyond Chaco Canyon . The film explores the ancient societies that built Chaco Canyon’s astonishing architecture and created astronomical patterns of building alignments and light markings.

What: Written on the Landscape , a visually expansive and evocative film, follows Anna Sofaer's exploration of the Chaco Canyon world of magnificent architecture that flourished 1000 years ago across 70,000 square miles of the American Southwest. This third film in Sofaer's Chaco Canyon trilogy blends stories from Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars to tell the story of an ancient culture with relevance for our contemporary society.

Paul Pino, an Historic Cultural Advisor of Laguna Pueblo, will open the program. After the film concludes, Sofaer and Petuuche Gilbert, an educator and advocate from the Pueblo of Acoma, will participate in a Q&A and discussion. Videos and signed books by Sofaer will be available for purchase on the evening of the event. The Museum’s one-of-a-kind exhibit on the Sun Dagger, produced by the Solstice Project, will be open for viewing in the Space Science wing.

This event is presented by NMMNHS and the Solstice Project, and co-sponsored by the New Mexico Academy of Science. Tickets are $8 and pre-registration is advised. More information available HERE .

Who: Researcher Anna Sofaer rediscovered the “Sun Dagger” in Chaco Canyon, an astronomical site marking solar and lunar cycles with light patterns on a spiral rock carving. Through her non-profit Solstice Project, she has dedicated herself to collaborative research and education on the Chaco culture with archaeological, Puebloan, and other consultants. This included production of the PBS film, The Mystery of Chaco Canyon , narrated by Robert Redford, and of a collection of research papers titled Chaco Astronomy .

Where: New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, located at 1801 Mountain Rd. NW.

When: Friday, June 14 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Why: Sofaer’s newest film builds on her previous work by telling a powerful and visually striking story about the society that called northwest New Mexico home a millennium ago!

Thanks, Stephen

Stephen Hamway stephen.hamway@dca.nm.gov (505) 412-3758

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