{"id":550370,"date":"2026-05-21T11:11:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T16:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=550370"},"modified":"2026-05-28T12:31:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T17:31:51","slug":"source-new-mexico-tribes-rally-for-continued-protections-at-sacred-chaco-canyon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/05\/21\/source-new-mexico-tribes-rally-for-continued-protections-at-sacred-chaco-canyon\/","title":{"rendered":"Source New Mexico: Tribes rally for continued protections at sacred Chaco Canyon"},"content":{"rendered":" \"Pueblo<\/a>
The National Trust for Historic Preservation included the Greater Chaco Cultural Landscape in its 2026 list of the top 11 most endangered historic places, citing the federal threat to reverse a ban on new oil and gas leasing around the site. Seen here is Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Photo by Avi Farber, Courtesy of The National Trust for Historic Preservation<\/figcaption>\r\n
Greater Chaco Cultural Landscape named one of country\u2019s \u2018most endangered\u2019 historic places<\/div>\r\n
NM Pueblo leaders urge public pressure to save Chaco Canyon ahead of expected reversal on oil and gas drilling ban<\/div>\r\n
Thursday, May 21, 2026<\/div>\r\n
By Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico<\/a> <\/div>\r\n

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The National Trust for Historic Preservation on Wednesday included the Greater Chaco Cultural Landscape in its 2026 list of the top 11 most endangered historic places. The designation \u2014 the area\u2019s second since 2011 \u2014 came as leaders from all of New Mexico\u2019s 20 Pueblos urged the public to continue applying pressure to prevent the reversal of a ban on new oil and gas leasing around Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

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The Trump administration, for the last year, has floated a proposal<\/a> to reverse a Biden-era order<\/a> that issued a 20-year ban on oil and gas development on federal lands within 10 miles of the site, which holds paramount spiritual and cultural significance for numerous tribes and pueblos. The federal government also proposed merely shrinking the protected area. <\/p>

Tribal leaders said they expect a decision in June and have criticized the process for failing to recognize Pueblo sovereignty. <\/p>\r\n\r\n

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New Mexico\u2019s federal delegation and tribal officials accused the Trump administration of rushing the process to reverse protections for Chaco.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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\u201cThe decision would not be made by people who hold a thousand years of cultural responsibility for that land, it would be imposed on us,\u201d said Pueblo of Acoma Gov. Charles Riley.<\/p>

All Pueblo Council of Governors Chair Gov. Joey Sanchez (Santa Ana) urged both public pushback to the reversal of the drilling ban and support for federal legislation<\/a> creating permanent protections recently introduced by New Mexico\u2019s congressional delegation.<\/p>

\u201cContact your representatives, submit comments to the BLM, speak up for the places that cannot speak for themselves,\u201d Sanchez said. \u201cWe cannot do it alone and we should not have to.\u201d<\/p>

The Pueblo leaders also acknowledged Chaco\u2019s designation as both historic and endangered.<\/p>

\u201cThe most endangered designation is not memorial, is not a eulogy \u2014\u2029it is a call to action,\u201d said Pueblo of Tesuque Gov. Mark Mitchell, flanked by photos of the site. \u201cThe national trust listings have helped us save irreplaceable American places for nearly 40 years.\u201d<\/p>

In its explanation for including Chaco, the Washington D.C.-based nonprofit said \u201cfederal and state management of the cultural landscape have historically treated Chaco as an isolated archaeological park, ignoring the broader landscape and the living Indigenous communities who continue to hold cultural responsibilities to these places.\u201d <\/p>

If protected, \u201cand interpreted holistically,\u201d the organization said, the Greater Chaco Cultural Landscape \u201ccould serve as a national model for Indigenous-led stewardship, intertribal collaboration, and public education grounded in respect and consent.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n \"All<\/a>

Governors and tribal leaders from all 20 New Mexico Pueblos appeared at a May 20, 2026, news conference to urge public pressure to preserve the ban on new oil and gas leasing around Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Photo: Danielle Prokop \/ Source NM<\/figcaption>\r\n

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The National Trust for Historic Preservation also issued a $25,000 grant for the Pueblo of Acoma to amplify awareness and organizing to save the site.<\/p>

Riley said the listing is \u201can important signal\u201d that he hopes will bring international awareness to the area, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<\/p>

\u201cWhen we speak of Chaco, we are not merely speaking of ruins,\u201d Riley said. \u201cWe are speaking of the spirits of our ancestors, who are still present, still teaching, and still caring and asking us to carry forward what they entrusted to us.\u201d<\/p>

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