Aztec Ruins and Chaco Canyon by Nancy J. Farrier

My husband and I just returned from a trip to New Mexico where we visited Aztec Ruins, just outside of Farmington. The Ruins were fascinating and the information was something I wanted to share with you.

Small doorways
to navigate

The name Aztec Ruins is a bit deceptive since there is no historical indication that the Aztecs came north. Instead, the person at the Ruins suggested that the Spaniards at that time traveled north and named everything Aztec—possibly because they were so impressed with the Aztecs and their culture.

So, who inhabited Aztec Ruins? The consensus is that in the late 1000s and 1200s the ancestors of the Pueblo people built and inhabited the Ruins. They were migratory and the first known place they built a home was in Chaco Canyon to the south of Aztec Ruins.

 

By Rationalobserver
Wikimedia Commons

Chaco Canyon was the home of the ancestral Pueblos from about 850 A.D. to the early 1000s. In Chaco Canyon, they built what is called Pueblo Bonito, a house that had approximately 800 rooms and 37 kivas—ceremonial chambers. It is thought to have housed around 1,000 people. There are other sites within the park that housed even more people, along with more ceremonial kivas.

Original roof/ceiling

It is thought that the Pueblos left Chaco Canyon and migrated north. Some of them ended up building the ruins in current day Aztec, New Mexico. The historic site is Aztec Ruins.

The Ruins has a great Kiva, a ceremonial structure that still has the original rooms with a reconstructed building and timber roof. The room is mostly underground and has a sacred feel to it. There are pits inside and ladders leading to upper rooms at the back of the structure. The construction is fascinating.

Great Kiva ladder leading to
back rooms and exit

Great Kiva fire pit
and floor vault

Inside wall showing
use of stones.

Throughout the Ruins the structures, whether the houses or the standing kiva, are more polished on the outside, but a little rougher on the inside. There is a use of homemade bricks interspersed with rocks, making an interesting design. Along one of the outer walls, there is a section that is made up of green rock set among the bricks. It is unknown why they did this, maybe just for a design.

One of two roofless kivas

The large kiva contained a central fire pit, two floor

Another roofless kiva

vaults, and four pillars at each corner of the sunken room. There was bench seating around the outer walls. The intricate ceiling was beautiful and there were probably places for torches to add light. It is thought that the people put sticks across the floor vaults to use as foot drums during ceremonies. There were other smaller kivas that didn't have a roof. 



The Great Kiva was excavated in 1921 by Earl Morris. In 1934 he led the crew that reconstructed parts that were missing. After finding bits of plaster from the original walls, Morris matched the reconstruction paint color and type as best he could.

Corner doorway in
upper back

One of the questions in the construction is the unusual use of corner doorways. There are two of them in Aztec Ruins. These are unique and detract from the stability of the walls. There is much debate about the reason these corner doorways were installed, but no clear indication of the reason.

North wall of ruins

There are so many fascinating aspects to the Ruins, but one of the most amazing to me was the north wall of the building. It was designed so that if you stand at the end at dawn on the summer solstice, you could watch the sun rise along the wall. Lining up the walls with the solstice was something the Pueblo people did. It also aligns with sunset of the winter solstice. I would love to be there at one of those times and see that phenomenon.

Green rock section on outer wall.

The Pueblo ancestors left Aztec Ruins by around 1300. There is no obvious reason, possibly because of drought or social factors. They traveled north where they established the Mesa Verde ruins in Southern Colorado. You can read an HHH article about Mesa Verde here.

Have you ever visited Aztec Ruins? It's a fascinating place. There is so much history and so many questions about the people who lived here. I loved the reverant feel of the place and the care that is taken to keep it intact.

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning, New York Times best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.

HHH May 2026 Book Day!

Books You Don't Want to Miss!

 

 

A WHOLE NEW PLAN  

by Denise M. Colby

California, 1870. Pastor William Baker built his life on steady faith and safe choices, but the arrival of Lydia Spencer upends everything. Independent and outspoken Lydia is unlike any woman he’s ever known. Lydia is a Pinkerton detective, undercover as a schoolteacher while tracking a dangerous crime boss. She’s determined to protect her friends in Washton even if it means keeping her distance from the kind, steadfast pastor who sees too much. But when Will and Lydia are thrown together in a search for truth they find themselves fighting not only for justice, but for a future neither had planned. 

DUTCH DAWN  

by Linda Shenton Matchett  

Will they survive the 500-mile journey to freedom? Isak Westgard is only six missions short to be rotated stateside. Then the unthinkable happens, and he crashes in the occupied Netherlands where the chances of him making it back to England are slim to none. The beautiful and tough-as-nails resistance courier begs to differ and claims she hasn’t lost anyone yet. The problem is the longer they’re together, the less he wants to escape.   

 

HEART'S PROMISE 
Book Three of Heart's Desire 
by Linda Hoover 

Welcome back to Jacob and Julia's Iowa farm.

In 1893, their children are eleven and ten. When Jacob and Julia adopted Annaliese as an infant, they were told God had a special plan for her. As Annaliese grows up, she wonders if the plan will be world-changing.

Julia's old friend, Edward Harrington, comes to visit, along with his wife and son, Robbie. Their time at the farm is the beginning of a like/hate relationship and later something more between Robbie and Annaliese. When the families travel to San Francisco in 1900, a shocking revelation from Edward's wife could change everything for Annaliese.

 

 

LISSA AND THE SPY  

by Camille Elliot 

In Regency-era London, Miss Lissa Gardinier enters her second Season seeking a marriage in order to escape her mother's constant criticism. So she represses her cheeky remarks behind a quiet, innocent facade. The enigmatic Lord Jeremy Stoude is dismayed when a chance encounter with Miss Gardinier entangles her in his world of secrets and subterfuge. He cannot afford to be distracted by Lissa’s charming smile and unflappable demeanor. As danger stalks them and true feelings come to light, can Lissa and Jeremy navigate the labyrinth of society’s expectations and their own insecurities to find love?

 

 

SCHOOLED IN LOVE 

by Kimberly Keagan 

Rule-breaking American heiress Beatrice Dennison discovers a rare book in her uncle’s library, and promptly enlists buttoned-up Cambridge academic Lord Henry Tisdale to help translate it. But the centuries‑old text holds more than history—it draws them into long days in the library, whispered discoveries, and a partnership neither expected.

As they work side by side, Tris and Harry must face meddling family, academic rivals, and an attraction that threatens everything they’ve built on opposite sides of the Atlantic. When the truth about the manuscript forces a choice, they must decide whether to cling to their carefully ordered lives—or risk everything for a once‑in‑a‑lifetime love.

SECRETS OF EPHESUS SERIES 

By Liisa Eyerly

The award-winning series unveils gripping historical mysteries set in the perilous world of ancient Rome. In Obedient unto Death, a scribe is murdered during an illicit Christian gathering. Sabina, a fearless believer, navigates a treacherous world of deceit and betrayal to discover the killer. In Fortunes of Death, our sleuth returns—risking everything to expose murder, magic, and corruption beneath the empire’s glittering surface.

Reviewer Deborah Anneraves: “Murder mystery—Intrigue—Love—Fellowship through Christ. This series has it all! Eyerly is wonderful! If you’re tired of boring—read this series! I love a good mystery!” Prepare to be hooked! 

 

TEXAS FORSAKEN

 by Sherry Shindelar 

Maggie Logan (Eyes-Like-Sky) lost everything when a raid tore her from her family. She adapted—marrying a Comanche and rebuilding her life. But the U.S. Cavalry destroys that life. Forced into a world she wants nothing to do with, Eyes-Like-Sky’s only hope may be an engagement to the man who killed her husband.

Plagued by guilt, Captain Garret Ramsey seeks redemption by taking responsibility for the woman he widowed and her baby. Though he is determined to do whatever it takes to protect them, is he willing to risk everything for a woman whose heart is buried in a grave?

  

TEN TEXAS TALES 

by Thomas Goodman 

FREE! A deadly train stunt. A governor's "pardon palace." A UFO crash in 1897. A town that outlawed dancing. Here are ten true tales from turn-of-the-century Texas.

THE QUILTING CIRCLE SERIES Box Set
Historical Romance Series 

By Mary Davis 
 

THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT (Book1) – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily her loved ones?

THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Book2) *SELAH & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects turn in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.

THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Book3) *SELAH Winner* – Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?

THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET (Book4) – Complications arise when a fancy French lady steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms. 

THE RELUCTANT HEALER OF HALIFAX 

by Terrie Todd 

(releases August 1, 2026) 

Three days ago, Pearline Campbell's family was whole and Oliver Hamilton still loved her. But upon returning to Halifax disfigured and shellshocked, Oliver ended their relationship. Then came Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the Halifax harbor was leveled by a tremendous explosion. . .and Pearline fears nothing will ever be whole again. Her parents are dead, her brother is missing, and her sister refuses to speak. Pearline must fortify herself to open her home to needy orphans, including an unidentified baby. Where can she find the strength for each new day as misery grips the city?

 

 

THE SCHOOLMARM AND THE MINER 

by Denise Farnsworth 

Adelaide Duncan's dream of teaching is within reach until her father's gambling forces her to start over. She takes a position in the gold rush town of Dahlonega, where unruly students, rules against teachers courting, and her feelings for a certain widowed father threaten her hard-fought independence.

Wade Coulter walked away from the law after he lost his wife and son. Raising his daughter alone is safer than letting anyone in. But Lotty’s new teacher makes him question everything. Just as he begins to trust again, a dangerous man from Wade’s past threatens both the women he loves.

A Little History About Chocolate

                       Seeds in the pod                                                                Cocoa Tree       

                                                                             

             Chocolate is one of my favorite sweet things to eat. In the third book of my Heart’s Desire series, Heart’s Promise, my characters go to San Francisco on vacation. One of the things they experience is Ghirardelli chocolate, so I decided to take a look back at the beginnings of this treat. Cocoa beans, which are needed to make chocolate, grow in long pods on cocoa trees. The beans are small, bitter seeds. The trees require hot temperatures, high humidity, consistent rainfall and protective shade. You can find them ten to twenty degrees north and south of the equator in Central America and Central Mexico. That means I have no hope of growing a cocoa tree in my backyard in Ohio.

                                    Aztecs                                         Mayans

The articles I read took me back over 4,000 years to the Mayo-Chinchipe people, then the ancient Olmecs around 1,800 BC, who historians believe used cocoa beans to brew warm, flavored drinks. It was too bitter to drink alone. Around the 8^th century, the Mayans began using cocoa beans for money, as well as a drink. They mixed the ground beans with maize in water and added allspice and vanilla. In the 1500s AD, the Aztecs in central Mexico also put a high value on cocoa beans. The people groups seemed to believe the drink had health benefits. Some thought it was “food from the gods.” The drinks were used in religious ceremonies and as a beverage for royalty.  

In 1519, a Spanish explorer named Heran Cortes spent some time with the Aztecs. In 1528, he took the drink to Spain. It didn’t take the Spanish long to add sugar. Hot chocolate made its way to other European countries and to America. By the 1600s and 1700s, chocolate houses, similar to today’s coffee shops, sprang up as popular places for the well-to-do to meet over a cup of hot chocolate. During the Revolutionary War, wounded soldiers sipped the hot drink to warm up and get an energy boost. Thomas Jefferson predicted hot chocolate would become as famous as tea and coffee.

                                                                    

                                                                                                                      

In 1847, a company called J.S. Fry & Sons in England added extra cocoa butter to liquid chocolate, turning it solid and creating the first mass-produced chocolate bars. The Cadbury Chocolate Company is one of their biggest competitors. Over the next several decades, chocolate makers added milk powder to recipes to make milk chocolate. In 1879, Rodolph S. Lindt of Switzerland designed a machine that stirred the chocolate until it was smooth and velvety. Dozens of other companies followed his example.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Most chocolate makers started out selling chocolate powder as a product to mix with water or milk for a beverage. Improvements made it possible to make chocolate bars and so much more. Milton Hershey established his company in 1894. James Baker of Baker’s Chocolate started his business in 1764. KraftHines owns Baker's Chocolate now, but kept James Baker's name on the baking bars.

                                                                                                       

                                                                          

Domenico Ghirardelli was born in Italy in 1817. He apprenticed with a candy and confectionary maker, spent some time in Peru, then went to Stockton, CA during the gold rush. He opened a general store selling supplies and confections to miners, then he opened another store in San Francisco. After trying to sell spices, coffee, mustard and liquor along with chocolate, he settled on mustard and chocolate only. In 1893, needing more space, he and his sons bought the Pioneer Woolen Building on San Francisco’s northern waterfront. That location became Ghirardelli Square. Today, the company is owned by Lindt and Sprungli, but we can still see Ghirardelli chocolates everywhere candy is sold. 

I hope you'll enjoy this recipe for chocolate chip cookies using Ghirardelli chips.

Ghirardelli's Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Welcome back to Jacob and Julia's Iowa farm.

In 1893, their son Justin is eleven. and daughter Annaliese is ten. When Jacob and Julia adopted Annaliese as an infant, they were told God had a special plan for her. As Annaliese grows up, she wonders if her purpose will be world-changing.

Julia's old friend, Edward Harrington, comes to visit from England, along with his wife and son, Robbie. Their time at the farm is the beginning of a like/hate relationship and later something more between Robbie and Annaliese. When the families travel to San Francisco in 1900, a shocking revelation from Edward's wife could change everything, beginning with taking Annaliese to England. 

If this is God's plan, Annaliese is disappointed. It's nothing like she imagined, and her heart's desire is to go to veterinary college. This could mean a very different future for her.

Heart's Promise

About the Author

Linda, a retired librarian, lives in west central Ohio with her husband and grandson. An avid reader and writer since childhood, she began her publishing career writing columns and a middle-grade serial for the South Charleston Spectator. Her desire is to entertain, but more importantly, to encourage readers with God’s faithfulness.

Visit Linda at her website.    Linda Hoover Books

 Stay in touch when you sign up for her newsletter. You’ll receive a free novella as a thank you.

  

 

Famous Horses in History – Marengo: a horse of mystery by Donna Schlachter

Painting by Theodore Gericault c 1812 -- courtesy of Horses & People

Marengo is perhaps the most famous horse associated with Napoleon Bonaparte, yet much of the stallion’s story remains wrapped in legend, contradiction, and mystery. Revered as a war horse, celebrated as a survivor, and eventually displayed as a museum relic, Marengo’s life offers a fascinating glimpse into the world behind the emperor who once dominated Europe.

Born around 1793 in Egypt, Marengo was believed to be an Arabian stallion of exceptional pedigree. Small by modern standards—standing only about 14 hands high—he nevertheless possessed the endurance, intelligence, and courage prized in Arabian bloodlines. Historians believe he was one of several horses brought back to France after Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign. Though details of his exact lineage remain uncertain, many experts agree his breeding contributed to his legendary stamina and calmness under fire. 

 

Portrait by Joseph Chabond c. 1810 -- courtesy Horse Addict

Napoleon reportedly named the horse after the 1800 Battle of Marengo, one of his significant victories against Austria in northern Italy. The horse quickly became associated with the emperor himself and accompanied him through some of Europe’s most famous military campaigns. Marengo carried Napoleon into the Battles of Austerlitz, Jena, Wagram, and, most famously, Waterloo. Despite suffering many injuries during its service, the horse showed remarkable resilience, according to military records.

One enduring mystery is whether Marengo was truly Napoleon’s favorite horse. Napoleon owned dozens of horses throughout his reign, and records from the era are often inconsistent. Some historians argue that Marengo’s fame grew after Waterloo as British collectors and storytellers elevated the horse into a symbol of victory over Napoleon. People think Marengo was highly valued for his consistency and his ability to endure difficult journeys that proved fatal to many other horses.

 

Napoleon Crossing the Alps by Jacques-Louis David - courtesy Wikipedia

 

Another mystery involves Marengo’s temperament. Stories portray him as fearless in battle, yet some reports describe him as difficult, stubborn, or highly spirited. As with many legendary animals, separating fact from myth is almost impossible. Contemporary accounts were often written decades later, colored by political loyalties and romantic storytelling.
 

Marengo’s military career ended dramatically at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. After Napoleon’s defeat, British forces captured the horse. Lieutenant Colonel William Petre apparently bought Marengo and brought him to England, where the old war horse lived out his days. Surprisingly, they did not treat Marengo as a royal treasure but instead allowed him to live a relatively ordinary life, including at stud, although his offspring were not notable. 

Marengo's skeleton on display at the National Army Museum, London -- courtesy Wikipedia

 

The stallion died in 1831 at approximately 38 years old—an extraordinary age for a horse of that era, especially one that endured years of warfare. Yet even death did not end Marengo’s strange journey. Curators preserved his skeleton and eventually displayed it at the National Army Museum in London, where it remains one of the museum’s most famous exhibits. But here's another odd thing: someone made a snuffbox from one of Marengo's hooves. This was a common thing in the 1800s, but it's shocking now. 

"Napoleon on Marengo" -- artist unidentified -- courtesy National Army Museum

 

Today, Marengo stands as more than merely Napoleon’s horse. He has become a symbol of endurance, mythmaking, and the blurred line between history and legend.

Feel free to leave a comment. We love to hear from you!

 

About Donna:

A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 60 times in books; is a member of several writers' groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. She is taking all the information she’s learned along the way about the writing and publishing process, and is coaching committed writers eager to tell their story. Learn more at https://www.donnaschlachter.com/the-purpose-full-writer-coaching-programs Check out her coaching group on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/604220861766651

www.DonnaSchlachter.com

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Resources:

https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/marengos-makeover

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marengo_(horse)

https://horseaddict.net/2017/11/06/marengo-napoleons-war-horse/ (snippet)

https://horsesandpeople.com.au/the-mystery-of-marengo/

https://ageofrevolution.org/200-object/skeleton-of-the-horse-marengo/