The Chaco Meridian as Commemorated at the Sunport Parking Structure

Upon multiple rewatches, I see more and more “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” patterns, particularly if they involve Puebloan history in the American Southwest. Starting especially with “Breaking Bad” episode “Breakage,” there are many Hopi references in the shows, and many Puebloan references in general. 

On Feb. 18th, on my most-recent visit to Albuquerque, I noticed that the four filming locations for both television series in the four-story Sunport parking garage (Locations A-D on the accompanying diagram) adhere very closely to the north-south axis of a narrow rectangular space within the parking garage, capped by a skylight. I don’t know about the dimensions of the space, but the skylight dimensions are quite narrow, about 280 ft x 20 ft, for an aspect ratio of 14:1. This north-south axis is notable, because the parking garage itself is laid out on an east-west axis (880 ft x 380 feet), tracking the runways at the Sunport. The rectangular space is visible in the background when Walter urges Jesse to come cook. 

Outside the parking garage, curbside at the airport terminal (Location E), there is a filming location. This location lies off the north-south axis, but the camera angle captures the southern end of the axis, where the elevator housing is clearly visible. Years later, Kim Wexler arrives curbside at the exact same curbside spot where Walter White once faked an airplane flight, on a grim mission to reveal all she knows. 

Now, why would a north-south axis be important? Puebloan religion venerates the north-south axis. Many significant pueblos and pueblo ruins lie along a north-south axis. Indeed, Aztec ruins, Pueblo Bonito ruins in Chaco Canyon, and Paquimé ruins at Casas Grandes in northern Chihuahua, Mexico, all lie within a couple miles of a direct north-south axis, even though Aztec and Paquimé ruins are 450 miles apart. In the 1990s, archaeologist Stephen Lekson, James Jacobs, and others dubbed this axis the Chaco Meridian, which also appears to include Mt. Wilson in Colorado and the Big Horn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming (107°57'25"). 

I think Vince Gilligan and company sought to commemorate the Chaco Meridian in their TV shows, using the airport parking structure as their canvas. It took fifteen years to fully-execute their vision of the Chaco Meridian (2008-2022). Their discipline and foresight is pretty remarkable! 

Here is a key to the filming locations, and their distances off the north-south axis [in brackets]: 

A – "Sitting around, smoking marijuana, eating Cheetos and [censored] do not constitute 'plans.'" – Walter White (BrBa 209, “4 Days Out”). [About 3 feet] 
B – View of Sunport terminal (BrBa 209, “4 Days Out”; BCS 612, “Waterworks”). [Zero feet] 
C – Gus and Mike discuss the relationship between Walter and Jesse (BrBa 304, “Green Light”). [75 feet] 
D – Mike Ehrmantraut retrieves his car keys and ‘Go’ bag (BrBa 507, “Say My Name”). [62 feet] 
E – Walter White fakes a plane-trip departure and arrival, and Jesse Pinkman thoughtfully brings a meth lab to the airport (BrBa 209, “4 Days Out”); Kim Wexler arrives back in Albuquerque from Florida at the exact same place (BCS 612, “Waterworks”). [300 feet]

The Chaco Meridian, and some Native-American sites on or near its axis.

Plan view of that portion the Sunport parking structure where the narrow rectangular space capped by a skylight is present.

Below are screen captures from the TV shows.

A – "Sitting around, smoking marijuana, eating Cheetos and [censored] do not constitute 'plans.'" – Walter White (BrBa 209, “4 Days Out”). [About 3 feet] 

B - View of Sunport terminal (BrBa 209, “4 Days Out”). [Zero feet]

B - View of Sunport terminal (BCS 612, “Waterworks”). [Zero feet]

C – Gus and Mike discuss the relationship between Walter and Jesse (BrBa 304, “Green Light”). [75 feet]

D – Mike Ehrmantraut retrieves his car keys and ‘Go’ bag (BrBa 507, “Say My Name”). [62 feet] 

E – Walter White fakes a plane-trip departure and arrival, and Jesse Pinkman thoughtfully brings a meth lab to the airport (BrBa 209, “4 Days Out”).  The elevator structure of the parking structure, at the south end of rectangular space, is clearly visible behind Skyler.

E – Walter White fakes a plane-trip departure and arrival, and Jesse Pinkman thoughtfully brings a meth lab to the airport (BrBa 209, “4 Days Out”) [300 feet]

E – Kim Wexler arrives back in Albuquerque from Florida at the exact same place (BCS 612, “Waterworks”). [300 feet]

Below are some of my own [most-recent] pictures of these places.

A – "Sitting around, smoking marijuana, eating Cheetos and [censored] do not constitute 'plans.'" – Walter White (BrBa 209, “4 Days Out”). [About 3 feet] 

In rectangular space, looking up and northwards.

In rectangular space, looking up and northwards

Looking northwards from terminal sidewalk towards southern end of parking garage axis and the elevator housings.

In rectangular space, looking up and northwards

In rectangular space, looking down and southwards

C – Gus and Mike discuss the relationship between Walter and Jesse (BrBa 304, “Green Light”). [75 feet]

C – Gus and Mike discuss the relationship between Walter and Jesse (BrBa 304, “Green Light”). [75 feet]

D – Mike Ehrmantraut retrieves his car keys and ‘Go’ bag (BrBa 507, “Say My Name”). [62 feet]