Aztec Ruins National Monument
See also: National Parks and Monuments (table)National Parks and Monuments
National Parks
Name Type1 Location Year authorized Size
acres (hectares)
Description
Acadia NP SE Maine 1919 48,419 (19,603) Mountain and coast scenery.
..... Click the link for more information.
Aztec Ruins National Monument,
318 acres (129 hectares), NW N.Mex., near Farmington; est. 1923. Ruins of a 12th-century PuebloPueblo,name given by the Spanish to the sedentary Native Americans who lived in stone or adobe communal houses in what is now the SW United States. The term pueblo is also used for the villages occupied by the Pueblo.
..... Click the link for more information. town contain interesting kivaskiva
, large, underground ceremonial chamber, peculiar to the ancient and modern Pueblo. The modern kiva probably evolved from the slab houses (i.e., storage pits and dwellings that were partly underground and lined with stone slabs set on edge) of their cultural ancestors, the
..... Click the link for more information. , one of which has been completely restored. Pueblo culture reached a high level of achievement in this area. The ruins were named by early settlers who mistakenly believed that they were built by the Aztecs. See National Parks and MonumentsNational Parks and Monuments
National Parks
Name Type1 Location Year authorized Size
acres (hectares)
Description
Acadia NP SE Maine 1919 48,419 (19,603) Mountain and coast scenery.
..... Click the link for more information. , table.
Aztec Ruins National Monument
Aztec, NM 87410
Phone:505-334-6174
Fax:505-334-6372
Web: www.nps.gov/azru/
Size: 318 acres.
Established: Proclaimed on January 24, 1923.
Location:On Ruins Road about 3/4 mile north of US 516, just outside the town of Aztec, New Mexico.
Facilities:Picnic area (é), visitor center (é), museum/exhibit, self-guided tour/trail. Entrance fee required.
Activities:Self-guided walk, guided programs (seasonally).
Special Features:Ruins of this large 12th-century Pueblo Indian community have been partially excavated. Contrary to the name, these structures were not built by the Aztecs of central Mexico, but centuries earlier. Aztec West stands three-stories high and once had as many as 500 rooms including a ceremonial "greatkiva" over 40-feet in diameter.
See other parks in New Mexico.