Aztec Ruins NP

[ilanarama]

Aztec Ruins are not actually Aztec ruins, but the 19th century white guys who found, restored, and named them didn't know any better. They are actually pre-Puebloan (what used to be called Anasazi) structures built and occupied between about 1100 and 1300. Pots and other artifacts found there suggest that the earlier occupation was related to Chaco Canyon (to the south), and in later years more related to Mesa Verde (to the NW) - both of those sites are of course much bigger, but this one was still quite nifty. Although this site is only about 35 miles away, we had never been there until our impromptu picnic on Sunday.



The rooms along the north edge of the complex had their original roofs.



Lots of kivas, including one humongous one that was restored in the 1920s to what they thought it would have been like during occupation - plastered over, painted, etc.



On the west side (only) are stripes made from rows of green rocks quarried from about 3 miles away. Rangers didn't know why. But it's pretty!

Comments

[weaverbird]

Fascinating site! Love the pictures, especially the last two. Those green stripes are pretty! Thanks for sharing. *g*

[ilanarama]

I like the green stripes, too. Why don't we build like that now?

[zulu]

Ooh, I love the one of the...well, or chimney, or whathaveyou. That's a place I'd love to visit.

[ilanarama]

Hmm, the round room thing? That's a kiva, a ceremonial room. There are probably half a dozen at this site.

There are lots of ancestral puebloan sites in this area! The most famous are Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon but there are literally hundreds, some which can only be reached by arduous hiking. Just amazing.