The Aztec Ruins National Monument is one of many different landmarks near Farmington and the greater Four Corners area showcasing our Ancestral Puebloan history.
It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of the US National Register of Historic Places and is on the way of the Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway. However, it’s not actually related to the Aztecs at all, but rather the ancestral Pueblo people. (More on that in a second.)
When visitors to Farmington ask about what to explore in the area, Aztec Ruins is one of the places we’re most excited to suggest.
Here’s our recommendations when visiting Aztec Ruins National Monument:
Learn about and explore key features of Aztec Ruins
When visiting Aztec Ruins, we recommend using this as an opportunity to learn about the history and significance of both this place and its people and culture — both today and since time immemorial. Here are some places to start:
Learn about the cultural history of the ancestral Pueblo people and Aztec Ruins
While the Aztec Ruins site can be appreciated by everyone, it’s an especially rich experience if you come here eager to learn. Much of the appeal of this national monument is in the Ancestral Puebloan features — both preserved and restored — that live here.
The first thing to know: The name “Aztec” is a complete misnomer and is the result of 19th century European-Americans getting it more than a little bit wrong. Aztec Ruins has nothing to do with the Aztecs, who were well over 1,000 miles south.
Instead, the site that would become Aztec Ruins was left behind by the ancestral Pueblo people.
The ancestral Pueblo people were a culture that developed millennia ago, firmly establishing themselves in the area that is now Aztec Ruins before the year 1000 and constructing it shortly after in the 1100s and 1200s. Although a change in climate after that time caused a migration away from the Aztec Ruins site, their descendants make up today’s Pueblo people, which includes dozens of tribes in not just New Mexico, but Arizona and western Texas too.
The largest structures in the monument include the restored Great Kiva, a semi-subterranean space that was originally built almost 1,000 years ago as a ceremonial and community area. This is the third largest kiva ever excavated in the US, and the largest reconstructed kiva in the US after it was restored in the 1930s.
Other highlights include other ancestral Pueblo people semi-subterranean structures, plus the Aztec West great house, an extensive structure that is the largest great house outside the nearby Chaco Culture National Historical Park (also known as Chaco Canyon) and took 30 years to build around the year 1100 — although that’s actually rapid by historical standards, as the comparable great house, Pueblo Bonito, was built over 300 years! Along with the Great Kiva, there are also multiple smaller kivas at the Aztec West Ruin.
Take advantage of the Aztec Ruins visitor center
When in doubt, their visitor center is a great place to start. There you can pick up trail guides, speak with rangers, and access other resources. Among these resources is the 15-minute film Aztec Ruins: Footprints of the Past, which features perspectives from archaeologists, Navajo, and Pueblo people.
You’ll find exhibits, artifacts, and interactive displays on the history of Aztec Ruins National Monument and the ancestral Pueblo people. Additionally, you’ll find further educational resources on the Animas River Valley community and its history.
There are also restrooms and facilities, plus a gift shop with books and local crafts to take with you.
How to explore Aztec Ruins National Monument
Once onsite, you have multiple options for seeing Aztec Ruins. Here are some of our recommendations:
Take a self-guided tour
This is the most common way for visitors to experience Aztec Ruins. Of course, it’s the most accessible way to see it — you can pick up maps and brochures at the visitor center and follow those guides.
At the visitor center, you can start out by learning more background information on the ancestral Pueblo people and greater Chaco Canyon region that will help contextualize your tour, allowing you to better understand and appreciate what you see later on.
Afterwards, there are walking trails throughout that will take you to Aztec West Ruin and the Hubbard Tri-Wall, another site past Aztec West that consists of preserved rooms surrounding a kiva. Overall, the trails to these ruins are about half-a-mile in length.
We also recommend seeing the Heritage Garden. This garden isn’t always active but, when it is, it’s dedicated to growing crops that would have been grown by the ancestral Pueblo people — or at least, the contemporary versions of them, seeing as cultivation has evolved our fruits and vegetables world-over since the Aztec Ruins site was occupied by its original inhabitants in the early 1000s.
You can learn more about the garden on the National Park Service’s website, with extensive looks at ancient Puebloan agriculture and how that informs the garden today.
Join in on Aztec Ruins’ ranger-led programs
If you’re interested in exploring further, there are many options for programs at the monument led by Aztec Ruins rangers that dive deeper into its history and cultural significance.
These include guided tours, talks, and demonstrations focused on ancestral Pueblo people history and their culture, plus the archaeology behind it. There are also programs specifically focused on the reconstructed Great Kiva and the whole West Ruin site.
If you’re able, we highly recommend participating in these programs — you’ll get a more in-depth look from experts, plus have the opportunity to ask questions and generally gain a better contextualized, deeper understanding of the site and its historical people.
Walk and hike the trails surrounding Aztec Ruins
The beauty and history of the area isn’t just limited to inside the monument site. There are also lots of trails to hike right outside Aztec Ruins — and all throughout the surrounding area.
Along with Aztec Ruins’ own trail that loops around its key features, the Old Spanish Trail goes right by the site. This trail near the Animas River at one point spanned from Los Angeles to Santa Fe during the period of Spanish colonization before the Mexican-American War led to this territory being ceded to the US. It was a combination of millennia-old Native pathways and their own routes to trade between California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Today, you can walk it into downtown Aztec. It’s about a 35-minute walk, a bit over a mile-and-a-half each way.
If you want a more “proper hike” or just a longer walking trail, there are loads of both in the nature surrounding Farmington and Aztec Ruins, too. These range in difficulty and length, so you really have your pick — just make sure to wear appropriate clothing, hydrate, and generally be prepared especially for longer, steeper hikes.
Along with getting some exercise, you’ll pass by plenty of scenic vistas and spots perfect for photographing our natural beauty.
On that note, if you’re interested in photography in and around the Aztec Ruins area, a few notes:
For starters, you’ll get the best panoramic views of the whole site near Aztec West. At the same time, the best light is generally found in the early morning or late afternoon for golden hour shots, although of course, the exact times vary depending on the time of year.
At the same time, we do request that when taking photos, you show respect for the site and the cultural significance behind it.
Planning your visit to Aztec Ruins
Luckily, the weather in this corner of New Mexico is quite pleasant year-round, with milder summers than much of the southwestern US, so there really isn’t a bad time to visit. (And of course, in our opinion you’d do well to stay in Farmington while in the area!)
When it comes to Aztec Ruins, admission is free and it’s open from 7 AM to 5 PM every day except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, with the visitor center and associated facilities like store, museum, and theater hours opening at 9 AM.
There are special events and lectures throughout the year with ranger-guided tours available at scheduled times in the summer months. The National Parks Service website also has really great resources for learning about the culture, history, and nature of the area, plus more information on programs, kids’ opportunities, and management.
There’s also available RV and bus parking and wheelchair access along with wheelchairs which you can borrow from the park. Unfortunately, but understandably, pets are not allowed unless they are official service animals.
Lastly: Especially in the summer, remember to bring water, sunscreen, and comfortable shoes!
We really love seeing people coming to Farmington to experience the history, culture, and nature of this area. The Aztec Ruins National Monument is one of our best reminders of the ancestral Pueblo people roots of this area and the importance of respecting that heritage.
Hope to see you soon!