New Mexico's new state quarter commemorates Chaco Culture National Historical Park, host to the densest concentration of pueblos in the region. Preserving and celebrating the culture of the Chacoan people, this high-desert park features numerous archaeological sites and artifacts of this complex and advanced society that flourished from the 800s to the 1100s.

chaco culture national historical PARK OVERVIEW

Arid and expansive, the park itself sees 8 inches of rainfall annually; the preceding site in the program, the El Yunque National Forest sees 30 times that much rain every year. Temperatures can swing as much as 60 degrees in a single day, and have gotten as low as -38 degrees Farenheit and as high as 102. Like many desert areas, it has sagebrush, cactus, pinon and juniper. Animals include mule deer, bobcats, foxes and predatory birds like hawks and vultures.