Doorways Through the Ages, Chaco Canyon National Park, New Mexico

A universal metaphor for the journey of life, these ancient pueblo doorways give me a feeling of walking through generations with each door, of hearing ancestors grinding maize and polishing turquoise: that feeling of mystery and wonder that is Chaco Canyon. The color differences are caused by a natural phenomenon I have studied for years and termed “reverberant lighting.” This effect depends on precise alignments of reflected sunlight and is only reproducible for a few minutes of the day, on certain days of the year.