New Mexico America the Beautiful Quarter

Second to be released in 2012 is the New Mexico America the Beautiful Quarter. This coin will mark the twelfth release overall in the circulating quarter series featuring National Parks and Sites of the United States and Territories.

The site to be featured on the New Mexico Quarter was announced as the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The announcement was made prior to the start of the new quarter series in late 2009. Under the authorizing legislation, the entire site register was required to be selected within nine months of enactment.

This page will feature design candidates and release information on the upcoming quarter, as this information is released by the United States Mint.

About Chaco Culture National Historical Park

The continental United States is lucky to be home to the archeological remnants of several ancient civilizations, although there may not be any as beautiful and memorable as those that are found at Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

As early as 850 AD the Chaco area of New Mexico was the home of the Chacoan people and the center of excitement, trade, ceremony and administration for those that existed in the prehistoric area of the Four Corners. When you visit the Chaco Culture National History Park, you will be surprised to learn that the foundations of complicated public buildings that were built by the Chaco still remain to be seen today.

Without the sophisticated tools that we have today, the Chaco were able to devised architectural plans, organize labor to put the plans into action, and engineer support systems to keep their buildings standing strong. It was in the year 1907 that the federal government decided that this unique heritage was worth protecting and the declared that the area be known as Chaco Canyon National Monument.