August 17-19, 2014 Aztec, New Mexico

Sunday  we hung out at the campsite in the cool pines outside of Mancos, Colorado and relaxed. We were going to leave for New Mexico on Monday, but it was predicted to be 97 degrees in Aztec, and only 80 where we were. So we stayed Monday too. It we only in the  80’s when we arrived in Aztec.

Entering New Mexico. We went to Aztec to see the Aztec Ruins National Monument. It is one of the largest and best preserved Ancestral Pueblo ruins in the Southwest.

This is a model of the site. It has over 500 rooms, some of them still intact. It was three stories high. They think about 200 people lived here at one time. It was built in 1110. John outside the Great Kiva. It has been restored, and is the only reconstruction of of its kind in North America.

John inside the Great Kiva. He is standing in the light from the entrance above. It is built in a plaza and was used for community events. The families lived in 5 room units, similar to the shot gun houses, with the rooms one behind another. Here is looking into the door ways of one.

The doorways were short.  Possibly to keep heat inside in the winter and heat out in the summer. Here are some pottery and weavings found in the ruin.

A kiva with ruins behind it. John in one of the taller sections.

Two kivas, and tall walls.

A keyhole door into the plaza with desert mallow in the foreground. More doors we walked through into the interior.

This is the original roof on this room. It is 900 years old and the timbers were hand carried down from the mountains 50 miles away. The north wall is aligned with the path of the sun on the summer solstice.

There were decorative stripes of green rock on the outside walls. This was a great site to visit because they let you  walk into the rooms on a self guiding tour. Historic downtown Aztec.

We could not tell if the Hiway grill was still open or not. The bus at The Ruins Road  RV park, right next to the ruins, on, of course, Ruins Road in Aztec.