Aztec Ruins National Monument

We visited Aztec Ruins National Monument in Aztec, 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.

(Quoting from the NPS website.)

Sign

A very nice picnic area:

Picnic area

Where we enjoyed a picnic lunch:

Picnic

The visitor center:

Visitor center

Visitor center

Flowering Prickly Pear cactus:

Flowering Prickly Pear cactus

Exploring the ruins, with the help of an audio guide:

Ruins

A reconstructed great kiva:

Reconstructed kiva

Reconstructed kiva

Reconstructed kiva

Reconstructed kiva

Reconstructed kiva

Reconstructed kiva

Reconstructed kiva

Reconstructed kiva

Reconstructed kiva

The reconstructed kiva in the background, and ruins of a smaller one in the foreground:

Ruins

Ruins

Ruins

Unlike many sites, one can go into this:

Ruins

Ruins

Ruins

Ruins

Ruins

Ruins

Ruins

Ruins

Ruins

Demonstrating how low the doorways are:

Jenn & David

Ruins

Into fairly intact rooms:

Ruins

Original ceilings:

Ruins

Ruins

Ruins

Ruins

Ruins

Ruins

On guard:

On guard

Ruins

Ruins

Ruins

Chatting with a volunteer:

Volunteer

Ruins

Ruins

Ruins

An impressive place, fascinating to explore.