HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Aztec Ruins National Monument in northwestern
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
, United States, consists of preserved structures constructed by the
Pueblo Indians The Pueblo peoples are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Among the currently inhabited Pueblos, Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, Zuni, and Hopi are some of the ...
. The
national monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...
lies on the western bank of the
Animas River Animas River (''On-e-mas''; ) is a river in the western United States, a tributary of the San Juan River, part of the Colorado River System. The river has experienced numerous catastrophes due to the mining nearby, the largest being the 201 ...
in
Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...
, New Mexico, about northeast of Farmington. Additional Puebloan structures can be found in Salmon Ruins and Heritage Park, 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 The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the ...
. 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 National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
, the monument was administratively listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
on October 15, 1966. The
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
(UNESCO) listed the
Chaco Culture Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in the American Southwest hosting a large concentration of pre-Columbian indigenous ruins of pueblos. The park is located in northwestern New Mexico, between ...
as a
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
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.


Climate

The climate of Aztec Ruins National Monument is a typical
semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''BSk'').


Notes


Gallery


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in San Juan County, New Mexico This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in San Juan County, New Mexico. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in San Juan County, New Mex ...
*
List of National Monuments of the United States The United States has 138 protected areas known as national monuments. The president of the United States can establish a national monument by presidential proclamation, and the United States Congress can do so by legislation. The president's a ...
*
List of the oldest buildings in New Mexico A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...


References


External links

* "The National Parks: Index 2001–2003". Washington, D. C.,
United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation ...

National Park Service website

American Southwest, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary

UNESCO World Heritage site
* * {{authority control 1923 establishments in New Mexico Ancestral Puebloans Archaeological museums in New Mexico Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico Former populated places in New Mexico History of San Juan County, New Mexico Museums in San Juan County, New Mexico National Register of Historic Places in San Juan County, New Mexico Native American history of New Mexico Native American museums in New Mexico National Park Service national monuments in New Mexico Open-air museums in New Mexico Protected areas established in 1923 Protected areas of San Juan County, New Mexico Pueblo great houses Ruins on the National Register of Historic Places World Heritage Sites in the United States Pueblos on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico Populated places on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico