New Mexico's entire federal congressional delegation joined the All Pueblo Council of Governors this week in calling for the preservation of the Chaco Canyon cultural protection zone.
Last week, the Trump administration proposed getting rid of a 20-year mineral withdrawal order that prevents mining operations near Chaco Canyon -- and only gave 14 days for public comment.
At a press conference this week, top political and tribal leaders demanded to keep the withdrawal order in place, extend the public comment period to 90 days, and conduct a tribal consultation. Democratic Senator Ben Ray Lujan encouraged the public to engage with the process regardless of the timeline.
“We need you to come forward and make sure you are participating in public comment and letting your voices known,” Lujan said. “Do not let this clock that the president set, which is one of the shortest I've ever seen, go without any of us noticing.”
The All Pueblo Council of Governors is an historic coalition of the top leaders from 20 distinct, sovereign Native American nations.
Council chair, Joey Sanchez, said Chaco Canyon is a living cultural landscape, a sacred site that has been an active part of pueblo tradition for generations.
“The Pueblos have protected Chaco for 1000s of years, and we're not going to stop. Not today, not tomorrow, not next week,” Sanchez said. “Our children’s children are still gonna fight to protect this place.”
The UNESCO world heritage site located in northwestern New Mexico is centered on the one of the largest, most well preserved and architecturally sophisticated ancient ruins in North America.
The area includes 4,200 documented archaeological sites, including ancient roads, shrines, and multi-story structures dating back some 3,000 years
Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg foundation.
