Living History at Aztec Ruins National Monument

Living History at Aztec Ruins National Monument

22 Jun, 2016
Living History at Aztec Ruins National Monument

Huffington Post 
By: James Orndorf
Photos: James Orndorf

Any tour of Ancient Puebloan ruins in the Four Corners has to include a stop at the Aztec Ruins National Monument in Aztec, New Mexico.

The site was inhabited from roughly the 1000s to the abandonment, likely from catastrophic drought, around 1300 AD, with Mesa Verdans being the last inhabitants. With 50,000 annual visitors, Aztec Ruins is more visited than Chaco Canyon to the south, but far quieter than Colorado’s Mesa Verde to the north, with its 500,000 visitors per year.

Tucked under big shady cottonwood trees a mile from Aztec’s main strip, the Ruins site was first discovered in 1859, and named by people who believed, incorrectly, that the structures must have been built as part of Mexico’s Aztec civilization. Preservation of the site began in 1916, with the arrival of Earl Morris, backed by the American Natural History Museum. The site was declared a National Monument in 1923, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

Along with the Salmon Ruins, down the road in Bloomfield, the Aztec Ruins are considered an interconnected outlier of Chaco Canyon. Aztec Ruins are included in Chaco’s UNESCO World Heritage site designation. 

Sitting on 27 acres, the main West ruins are a compact and easy to visit site boasting over 450 rooms and a unique hands-on experience with trails leading through the ruins themselves, ultimately leading in to the largest fully restored Kiva in the southwest.

Visit HuffingtonPost.com for the cull article. 

Author: Ingrid
Categories: Announcements

Categories

Tags

world extreme rock crawling wines of the san juan tourist attraction top off road trails in new mexico top farmington events three rivers brewery things to do in farmington technicolor dreaming summer terrace concert series summer art walk special events shiprock, new mexico shiprock pinnacle sherman dugan geology museum san juan river san juan county fair rod run road apple rally course riverglo riverfest race 2 educate pow wow petroliana parade outdoor summer theater ohv off roading off road adventures new mexico navajo rug auction navajo lake state park natural bridges national monument national parks service centennial celebration national parks national park service mountain biking monster truck show mesa verde national park memorial day luminaria live music league of american bicyclists lake farmington labor day kokopellis cave kiva kidfest kicker arenacross july special events jolt your summer challenge jolt your journey jolt worthy events jazz jam ice skating holiday events in farmington holiday events historic downtown walking tour healing fields green revolution golf freedom days four corners fishing fireworks farmington, new mexico farmington special events farmington new mexico farmington events farmington branding alliance farmington family climbing night easter egg hunt dinosaurs of new mexico dinetah darky sky tours crow canyon connie mack world series colorado mine waste spill christmas parade chokecherry canyon chile in october chaco culture national historical park chaco culture national historic park chaco canyon brews meats bands festival bolack museum of fish and wildlife boat & float fest bisti de-na-zin wilderness bisti bay waterpark bisti badlands full moon hike bisti badlands best archaeological sites bark in the park aztec ruins national monument aztec new mexico august 2017 astrofriday animas river angel peak scenic area 2016 w.e. rock grand national championship
FREE Vacation Guide
.