Aztec Ruins National Monument New Mexico

Pueblo people describe this site as part of their migration journey. Today you can follow their ancient passageways to a distant time. Explore a 900-year old ancestral Pueblo Great House of over 400 masonry rooms. Look up and see original timbers holding up the roof. Search for the fingerprints of ancient workers in the mortar. Listen for an echo of ritual drums in the reconstructed Great Kiva.

A place of ceremony, social interaction, and council the Great Kiva was the core of an ancient Pueblo community at Aztec Ruins. Centrally located within the plaza of the West Ruin, this is the largest reconstructed “great kiva” anywhere.

In addition to self-guided experiences, Aztec Ruins has a number of regular programs and special events going on throughout the year.

Goods, services, and accommodations to support your ancestral Pueblo explorations at Aztec Ruins are available in the nearby cities of Aztec, Bloomfield, Farmington, and Durango.

Visitor Center: Begin your visit at the visitor center to pay any entrance fee, receive an orientation to the archeological site, and pick up a trail guide. The visitor center museum displays a variety of ancient artifacts excavated at or related to Aztec Ruins. Throughout the day a 15 minute video, Aztec Ruins: Footprints of the Past, reveals the pre-Columbian history of the Four Corners region and offers diverse perspectives from Pueblo people, Navajo tribal members, and archeologists.

Self-Guided Trail: Aztec Ruins provides visitors an opportunity to explore the ancestral Pueblo "Great House" known as Aztec West. A self-guided 700-yard walk winds through rooms built centuries ago. Along the way discover skillful stone masonry, remarkably well-preserved wood roofing, and original mortar in some walls. The interpretive trail guide combines modern archeological findings with traditional Native American perspectives. Near the trail's end, visitors enter the Great Kiva. This awesome semi-subterranean structure, over 40 feet in diameter, was the social and religious center of the ancient complex. Now reconstructed, Aztec Ruins' Great Kiva is the oldest and largest reconstructed building of its kind.

Interpretive Programs: Rangers offer interpretive talks and tours at scheduled times. Other activities include scholarly lectures, demonstrations of traditional American Indian arts, and special events. The times and locations of these programs are posted about a month in advance on the schedule of events.

Let Rawhide Travel and Tours help you with all your reservation needs. Call us at (602) 843-5100 or visit our website: rawhidetravel.com.

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