Four candidate designs for the reverse of the first 2011 National Park quarter were submitted to the U.S. Treasury, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee for consideration. Scheduled for release in April 2012, the 12th coin in the series will honor Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
U.S. Mint art for the top contenders for the Chaco Culture National Historic Park quarter design.
Three of the four designs feature kivas – round, subterranean chambers that are thought to have been used for religious ceremonies. The fourth design features New Mexico’s untamed landscape, which surrounds these awe-inspiring ruins.
The Commission of Fine Arts recommended a design depicting two kivas of Chetro Ketl – one of the many pueblos located throughout the park. The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee did not make a recommendation for any of the four proposed designs, instead stating the difficulty of showing this site on a quarter design. The final decision will be made by the Secretary of the United States Treasury.
These designs were created to honor the series of immense buildings, or pueblos, that were constructed in present-day New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon beginning in the mid-800s A.D.
