Ancient Ruins in the Cañon de Chelle, New Mexico,

1873

Between 1860 and 1879, four expeditions sponsored by the United States government sought to survey, map, and explore the large geographical region that lies west of the Mississippi River. During these explorations, which ultimately promoted Western settlement by demonstrating the navigability and habitability of the area’s rugged terrain, experts in the fields of archaeology, botany, geology, and ornithology collected data, specimens, and archaeological objects for future study. Accompanying three of these expeditions was photographer Timothy H. O’Sullivan, who in 1873 led a side mission to the ancient Anasazi ruins in New Mexico, in what was then known as the Territory of New Mexico, now within the state of Arizona, where this picture was taken. O’Sullivan captured the striated facade of the mountain, the scale of which is conveyed through the figures standing among the pueblo’s ruins.