National Monument in northwestern New Mexico, consisting of preserved structures constructed by the Pueblo Indians

How to Get There

Overview

The Aztec Ruins National Monument in northwestern New Mexico, consists of preserved structures constructed by the Pueblo Indians. The national monument lies on the western bank of the Animas River in Aztec, New Mexico, about 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Farmington. Additional Puebloan structures can be found in Salmon Ruins and Heritage Park, about 9.5 miles (15.3 km) south. Archaeological evidence puts the construction of the ruins in the 12th and 13th centuries. The Puebloan-built ruins were dubbed the "Aztec Ruins" by 19th century American settlers who misattributed their construction to the Aztecs.

Judson McCranie, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

The site was declared "Aztec Ruin National Monument" on January 24, 1923. "Ruin" was changed to "Ruins" after a boundary change, on July 2, 1928. As a historical property of the National Park Service, the monument was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listed the Chaco Culture as a World Heritage Site on December 8, 1987. That listing specifically included the Aztec Ruins.

The monument is on the Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway, one of New Mexico's Scenic Byways.

The property was part of a 160-acre (65 ha) homestead owned by H.D. Abrams, who supported the preservation of the ruins. The H.D. Abrams House in Aztec is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Aztec Ruins National Monument", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0