Chaco Canyon lands on endangered list as tribes split over its protections
WINDOW ROCK
The Greater Chaco Cultural Landscape was placed on a national list of endangered historic places last week, even as President Buu Nygren reaffirmed his support for eliminating the buffer zone that Pueblo nations are fighting to keep.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced May 20 that the landscape had been added to its 2026 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The listing was nominated by the Pueblo of Acoma and backed by the All Pueblo Council of Governors, a body representing 20 sovereign Pueblo nations in New Mexico and Texas.
Nygren met with the Bureau of Land Management on May 13 for a government-to-government consultation on the buffer zone.
“The Navajo people have protected Chaco for generations,” Nygren said. “My position is clear: leave it alone. Zero buffer zone is my stance. Everything was good before this started, and the local chapters and communities deserve to be respected.”
To read the full article, please see the May 28, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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