Penasco Blanco, Chaco Canyon’s most prominent Great House oriented to the standstill moon.
Photo by Adriel Heisev (2006).

Dear Friends,

Spring Equinox greetings! We are thrilled to bring you news of the progress of our new film From the Mind’s Eyes and to report that our 2024 film Written on the Landscape continues to be broadcast by PBS and to be distributed in broad outreach to schools and universities.

Whilst our trilogy of films on Chaco Canyon’s mysteries has deepened worldwide appreciation of its complex cosmology and moved people to sense its spiritual depth, the achievements of the Chaco people are now inspiring us to expand our new work to explore other ancient sites with astronomical alignments. Our Chaco work opens doors for us to engage with brilliant colleagues also conducting research in the field of archeoastronomy at monumental sites in Mexico, England and Ohio. It turns out that the depth of reverence that the Chacoans held for the sun and moon was shared over thousands of years in parallel expressions by indigenous people around the world. Our fourth film From the Mind’s Eye will convey the unity of these cultures with the cosmos and with each other as they aligned with the heavens.

Stonehenge the site of the Solstice Project’s filming in June 2025 for its alignment to the standstill moon. Photo by Anna Sofaer.

Palenque, a Maya complex of magnificent temples with intricate alignments to the sun and moon

Last December this new exploration led us to Ohio to record the sophisticated lunar astronomy of the little-known Hopewell Culture exemplified by the Great Circle and the Octagon near Newark, Ohio: the moon rose on the axis of a massive earthwork — an octagon holding 50 acres! — at its lunar standstill reached only once every 18 to 19 years. The people who planned and engineered this phenomenal construction were geniuses of astronomy, geometry and engineering. We are delighted that thanks to UNESCO and ardent support from residents and descendant groups this site became a World Heritage site in 2025.

We are now planning to film in Mexico at Palenque, a Maya complex of magnificent temples with intricate alignments to the sun and moon. Its beautiful art and inscriptions convey the symbolic power held by the sun and moon in the cycle of life and death.

In a film expedition to Stonehenge we will record the latest understanding of the marvels of its 1,500 year history: how the early rectangle of the Station Stones that frames all later developments is aligned to the same 18-19 year standstill moon commemorated by the Chacoans, the Hopewell culture and Maya people. While greatly distant in time and geography, these sites were all built to align with the same cycles of the sun and moon revealed in the monumental constructions of Chaco Canyon.

When we film this spring in Chaco, our colleague, archaeologist Richard Friedman and I will convey new understanding from our recent research —- Chaco’s topographic alignment corresponds with the moon’s standstill position. The landscape forms of the canyon may have played a key role in drawing people to its barren environment with the inspiration to create monumental architecture on an astounding scale — contrary to any practical consideration — in conformity to the sun and moon. The land speaks and inspires connections to the world beyond….to receive gifts of the sun and moon.

As daily tensions draw too much of our attention, From the Mind’s Eye will connect us with peoples of the ancient world as they drew connections of divine order from the universal presence of the sun and moon.

I am deeply grateful for your continued support over the years to our work with Chaco and I hope you will join in this new journey with still wider horizons into the world of ancient peoples. I invite you to make a tax-deductible donation to support our continued work to preserve Chaco culture and our new film From the Mind’s Eye. I firmly believe this film is especially needed in today’s world, as people seek deeper connections with the earth and the cosmos.

Thank you again for being part of this journey. I look forward to sharing more adventures and updates with you all soon!

If you know others who might resonate with this vision, please don’t hesitate to share this opportunity with them.

Wishing you all the best as this spring brings warmth and growth to our rebounding earth.

Warmly,

Anna Sofaer
Executive Director
Solstice Project Inc
www.solsticeproject.org

To make a donation by check, please mail it to:
Solstice Project
222 East Marcy Street #19
Santa Fe, NM 87501

If you prefer, please mail your donation to the Solstice Project address above. Please note that the Solstice Project is a 501c3 non-profit organization and your contributions are tax deductible to the extent that the law allows.

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Maya Archaeoastronomer Alonso Mendez with Anna Sofaer at Pueblo Bonito

Dear Friend,

For 40+ years the Solstice Project has been telling the remarkable story of Chaco Canyon.

Through our own original research and collaborations with educators of descendant communities and archaeologists, we have brought the extraordinary accomplishments of the Chaco culture to a wider audience. Thanks in part to our work there is a larger constituency than ever to protect this world-class cultural legacy.

Our 2000 documentary The Mystery of Chaco Canyon is still a staple on public television and is widely viewed on a variety of platforms. The film’s longevity and continued resonance is a testament to the power of the Chaco story.

We are now bringing the Chaco story up-to-date with our new film Written on the Landscape. This film documents our latest research on the Chaco region through stunning photography, state of the art visualizations, and penetrating interviews. You can view an introduction to the film here.

The film is roughly 90% complete, but there is still important work to be done. I am now asking our friends who care so much about Chaco to help us raise the $50,000 we need to get us over the finish line.

We are fortunate in having a $25,000 matching gift challenge from an anonymous donor who believes in the promise of Written on the Landscape. Gifts received before December 31 will essentially be doubled. Any funds raised beyond what we need to finish the film will be used for educational outreach and promotion. Together we can do it!

Written on the Landscape is scheduled to be premiered on New Mexico public television station KNME on June 20, 2024. We are also in discussion with other partners for additional launch events and the development of educational materials. We are confident the release of the film will bring awareness of the Chaco region to a whole new generation and shape the conversation around this amazing cultural legacy for years to come.
Thank you so much for your interest and support of the Solstice Project. You can make your tax-deductible donation by clicking the Donate Now button below, or if you prefer, you can mail a check to the address below.

Thank you,

Anna Sofaer
President
Solstice Project
222 East Marcy Street #19
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501

If you prefer, please mail your donation to the Solstice Project address above. Please note that the Solstice Project is a 501c3 non-profit organization and your contributions are tax deductible to the extent that the law allows.

Written on the Landscape

Cast & Crew

With these remarkable participants, Written on the Landscape will transform understanding of the Chaco people; showing that their interests and achievements reached to the stars with a brilliant conceptual map of the cosmos on the vast arid landscape of the Chaco region. In reflections of descendant people, the film also highlights the wisdom of their choice to close Chaco and to no longer live in a hierarchy of powerful people seeking control of nature. A profoundly important message has been shared for us today as we face challenging choices with our human created climate crises.

Petuuche Gilbert, of Acoma Pueblo, educator and activist, describes the moral lessons of Chaco and how people left Chaco to form new, more egalitarian and sustainable societies that exist to this day.

Paul Pino, of the Laguna Pueblo, educator, and former chairman of the Laguna Tribal Historic Preservation Board explores the spiritual dimensions of the Chaco world that continue in traditions of his people today.

Alonso Mendez, an archaeoastronomer and artist of Maya heritage, who has done extensive work in Palenque, Mexico, shares his deep insights into Mesoamerican cosmology, drawing parallels between these traditions and Chacoan and Puebloan traditions.

Rob Weiner, archaeologist and doctoral candidate, explores the significance of Chacoan roads and their relationships with distinct topographic features and astronomical events. He shares his findings of Mesoamerican exotic goods and gaming pieces as powerful ritual objects in Chacoan society.

Pat Sandoval, member of Laguna Pueblo, retired Superintendent of Laguna Middle School, former Director of Planning and Evaluation at the SFIS, and a long-time supporter of the Solstice Project’s educational outreach. She underscores the importance of Indian youth learning the scientific achievements of their ancestors.

With his expertise in archaeoastronomy and refined skills in night sky cinematography, Davd Valentine has captured magnificent imagery for Written on the Landscape. In exploring Chaco ruins in the canyon and the far reaches of the Four Corners he has also created beautiful footage of ancient architecture set in rugged desert terrains.

If you prefer, please mail your donation to the Solstice Project address above. Please note that the Solstice Project is a 501c3 non-profit organization and your contributions are tax deductible to the extent that the law allows.

Archaeologists Rich Friedman and Rob Weiner with Anna Sofaer.

Solstice Project colleague Robert Weiner recently earned his Ph.D. from University of Colorado Boulder following a successful defense of his (900 page!) dissertation on Chacoan roads, which was held at the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe. In the fall, he will begin a Postdoctoral Fellowship with the Society of Fellows at Dartmouth College, where he will be affiliated with the Department of Religion. We look forward to reading the publications he will produce in the near future!

Rob Weiner