Blanco, Spanish for "white cliff," is a large arc shaped great house built in five different stages, between 900 and 1125 AD. Sitting atop the northernmost point of West Mesa, the pueblo overlooks the confluence of the Chaco and Escavada Washes.
Being one of the first large pueblos built in the canyon, the ruins display the development in Chacoan masonry through the centuries. Reaching up to four stories tall, the pueblo contained approximately 160 ground-floor rooms, two great kivas in the central plaza, and two more located outside the pueblo. Near Penasco Blanco is a well known cliff painting that contains a crescent moon, a ten-pointed star, handprint, and a sun sign. Catching the attention of astronomers, many have speculated that the pictograph represents the sighting of a supernova in July, 1054 AD, or the appearance of Halley's comet in 1066 AD.
Directions
From the parking lot at the end of the paved road, follow an old road west to Kin Kletso. Continue and you will reach Casa Chiquita - follow the trail which towards its end will climb up to White Mesa. Overall, the trail is about 3.6 miles one way from the parking lot at Pueblo Del Arroyo.
