The Chimney Rock Interpretive Association (CRIA) is honored to present a special fundraising evening with acclaimed filmmaker, researcher and Chaco Canyon expert Anna Sofaer, whose pioneering discoveries have reshaped our understanding of ancient Puebloan cosmology.
This unique event will be held on Sept. 11 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Liberty Theatre, located at 418 Pagosa St. The evening will include drinks (cash bar) and appetizers, a silent auction, a film screening and a Q-and-A session with Sofaer.
From 5 to 6:30 p.m., light appetizers (included with ticket) and drinks (cash bar) will be available, as will silent auction bidding.
From 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. will be the screening of “Written on the Landscape: Mysteries Beyond Chaco Canyon.”
From 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. there will be a Sun Dagger Explorer demonstration and Q-and-A with Sofaer.
At 8:30 p.m., the silent auction results will be announced.
Tickets are available at PagosaMovies.com and are $30 per individual or $50 per couple.
All proceeds support CRIA’s educational and preservation programs.
In 1977, Sofaer rediscovered the Sun Dagger site atop Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon, revealing an extraordinary ancient solar and lunar calendar — a spiral rock carving marked by light and shadow at the solstices and lunar standstills.
For more than four decades, Sofaer has led interdisciplinary research through the Solstice Project, publishing widely and producing landmark PBS documentaries including “The Sun Dagger” and “The Mystery of Chaco Canyon.” See solsticeproject.org for more information.
Her latest film, “Written on the Landscape,” offers a sweeping view of the vast Chaco cultural region — nearly twice the size of Ireland —highlighting ritual architecture, celestial alignments and sacred landscapes through powerful imagery and Indigenous perspectives.
Attendees will also have the rare opportunity to explore the Sun Dagger Explorer, an interactive 3-D computer model recreating the fragile Fajada Butte site using advanced laser scanning and archival imaging.
This is a can’t-miss evening for anyone interested in the rich cultural and astronomical legacy of Chacoan Indigenous history and efforts to preserve sacred sites for future generations.
CRIA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that offers interpretive programs at Chimney Rock National Monument in partnership with the USDA Forest Service and the San Juan National Forest.
For more information, see the CRIA website at www.chimneyrockco.org or call (970) 731-7133.
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