Chaco Culture National Historical Park Quarter

The 2012 Chaco Culture National Historical Park Quarter is the 12th coin in the America the Beautiful Quarters® Program.

This historical park in New Mexico features Chaco Canyon, which was a major center of Puebloan culture between A.D. 850 and 1250. The Chacoan sites are part of the homeland of Pueblo Indian peoples of New Mexico, the Hopi Indians of Arizona and the Navajo Indians of the southwest. Chaco Canyon was the cultural center of a system of communities linked by road and trading networks across a 40,000 square-mile region in the Four Corners area from A.D. 850 to 1150.

Chaco is remarkable for its multi-storied public buildings called “great houses,” enormous circular ceremonial subterranean structures called “great kivas,” and distinctive architecture featuring a notable concentration of petroglyphs and pictographs. The Chacoan people combined pre-planned architectural designs, astronomical alignments, geometry, landscaping and engineering to create an ancient urban center of spectacular public architecture. It was first established as a national site on March 11, 1907 (35 Stat. 2119).

The obverse (heads) design features the familiar image of George Washington by John Flanagan, used on the quarter since 1932. It has been restored to bring out subtle details and the beauty of the original.

The reverse (tails) depicts a view to the west of two elevated kivas that are part of the Chetro Ketl Complex. The design also shows the north wall of Chetro Ketl and the north wall of the canyon. Design candidates were developed in consultation with representatives of Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

• UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• LIBERTY
• IN GOD WE TRUST
• QUARTER DOLLAR

• CHACO CULTURE
• NEW MEXICO
• 2012
• E PLURIBUS UNUM

• Denver
• Philadelphia
• San Francisco

The U.S. Mint released the The Chaco Culture National Historical Park quarter in circulating, uncirculated, and proof finishes. A five-ounce silver coin was also produced in uncirculated and bullion finishes.

Quarter (Circulating, Uncirculated, Proof):

• Composition: Cupro-Nickel Clad (8.33% nickel, balance copper)
• Weight: 5.670 grams
• Diameter: 0.955 inch (24.26 mm)
• Thickness: 1.75 mm
• Edge: Reeded

Five-Ounce Silver Coin (Uncirculated, Bullion):

• Composition: 99.9% silver
• Weight: 5.0 ounces
• Diameter: 3.0 inches
• Edge: Edge-Lettering