Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
Great houses of the Ancestral Puebloans in a desert canyon.
Terra Explorer Ancient wonders
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Make this model
The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely.
- Region
- New Mexico, USA
- Position
- 36.0603, -107.9575
- Area
- 5 × 5 km
- Real elevation
- 1,850 to 2,039 m (189 m of relief)
- Printed size
- 150 mm (5.9 in) wide, about 1:33,300
- Heights
- 2× exaggeration
- Elevation data
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, 1–10 m per point
- Suggested color
- Desert
- Group
- Ancient wonders
About Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in the American Southwest hosting a large concentration of pre-Columbian indigenous ruins of pueblos. The park is in northwestern New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Farmington, in a remote canyon cut by the Chaco Wash. Containing the most sweeping collection of ancient ruins north of Mexico, the park preserves one of the most important cultural and historical areas in the United States. Between 900 and 1150, Chaco Canyon was a major cultural center for the Ancestral Puebloans. Chacoans quarried sandstone blocks and hauled timber from great distances, assembling 15 major complexes that remained the largest buildings ever built in North America until the 19th century.
From Wikipedia: Chaco Culture National Historical Park, text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. The article’s history lists its authors.
Questions about Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
Where is Chaco Canyon?
Chaco Canyon is in New Mexico, USA at 36.0603, -107.9575. The model covers a 5 by 5 kilometer square around that point.
How high is the terrain in the Chaco Canyon model?
The land in this model runs from 1,850 to 2,039 m (189 m of relief). These are the measured heights, printed 2 times taller so the shape is easy to see.
Can I 3D print Chaco Canyon?
Yes. Download the free Standard resolution STL and print it on any FDM or resin printer. It is 150 mm wide and about 16.3 mm tall, on a solid 5 mm base, at a scale of about 1:33,300. It also works for CNC carving. Use Customize to change the width, base thickness or height exaggeration, make it round or add a name plate.
How accurate is the Chaco Canyon model?
It is built from real elevation measurements, not an artist's guess: the USGS 3D Elevation Program, mostly airborne laser scans at 1 to 10 meters per point. The shaded picture on this page is made from the same data.
Is the Chaco Canyon model free?
The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely and is a paid upgrade.
What is a Chaco Canyon terrain model good for?
People use it as a desk piece for history lovers, a classroom model or a gift for someone who has been there.
About this terrain model
Embossify Terra builds Chaco Canyon, New Mexico from real measured elevation, not an artist's guess. In the United States the heights come from the USGS 3D Elevation Program, mostly airborne laser scans that resolve every 1 to 10 meters.
The model covers a 5 by 5 kilometer square centered on 36.0603, -107.9575. It prints 150 mm (5.9 in) wide on a solid base, a scale of about 1:33,300. The heights are exaggerated 2× so the shape is easy to see and feel; you can change that when you customize the model. The sea is flattened to zero, so land stands on a clean base.
New to terrain printing? Read how Terra works. The shaded picture on this page is made by Embossify from the same elevation data.
