Established as a National Monument in 1907 and a National Historical Park in 1980, Chaco Culture National Historical Park protects some of the earliest ancient Puebloan structures, including Pueblo Bonito and Casa Rinconada. Various petroglyphs found within the park appear to be correlated with sun and moon observations made in ancient times.

In 2013, Chaco was established as an International Dark-sky Park and has an observatory where modern-day astronomers can peer back in astronomical time and learn about the universe’s past.