The Lowry Pueblo is an

Ancestral Puebloan The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, were an ancient Native American culture that spanned the present-day Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, an ...

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...

located in

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is a national monument protecting an archaeologically-significant landscape located in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of Colorado. The monument's are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, ...

near Pleasant View,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The pueblo was constructed around 1060 AD atop abandoned pithouses from an earlier period of occupation. It was occupied by 40 to 100 people at a time for 165 years. The site is one of the northernmost to be associated with the Puebloan cultures. The site was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1964.Albert H. Schroeder (September 24, 1962) , National Park Service and

Description

Lowry Pueblo is located about northwest of Cortez, Colorado, and about north of

Chaco Canyon Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in the American Southwest hosting a concentration of pueblos. The park is located in northwestern New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Farmington, in a remote c ...

, one of the major centers of Ancestral Puebloan culture. The pueblo was named for the early area homesteader George Lowry. It is believed to have begun as a relative small community with just a few rooms, but is unusual for the presence of a great

kiva A kiva is a space used by Puebloans for rites and political meetings, many of them associated with the kachina belief system. Among the modern Hopi and most other Pueblo peoples, "kiva" means a large room that is circular and underground ...

, suggesting it served as a communal center for a scattered population before the settlement around it got larger. The inhabitants were farmers who also hunted small game, made elaborately decorated pottery, and wove cotton obtained by trade. Its last occupation occurred in the early 13th century. Lowry Pueblo was first excavated during summer field seasons from 1930 to 1934 by Paul Sidney Martin of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. In 1965, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which owned the property, undertook a two-year project with the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...

to stabilize the ruins, which had become partially buried. It was incorporated as part of the

in 2000. File:Lowry pueblo3.jpg, Lowry Pueblo File:Lowry pueblo1.jpg, Great Kiva in Lowry Pueblo

References

https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/colorado/canyons-of-the-ancients

External links

Lowry Ruin at Field Museum of Natural History website
{{authority control Puebloan buildings and structures Protected areas of Montezuma County, Colorado Ancient Puebloan archaeological sites in Colorado Native American history of Colorado National Historic Landmarks in Colorado National Register of Historic Places in Montezuma County, Colorado Bureau of Land Management areas in Colorado Ruins in the United States Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado

Description

See also

References

External links