Bettymaya Foott Aztec West Self-Guided Trail Explore the ancestral Pueblo great house that began as a satellite city of Chaco, and later functioned as the social, economic, and political center of the region after Chaco declined. A self-guided, half-mile walk winds through original rooms. 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. You can also enter the ceremonial Great Kiva; this awesome semi-subterranean structure, over 40 feet in diameter, is the oldest and largest reconstructed building of its kind. Please remain on the designated trails at all times, and do not climb the walls. 
Patrick Christman/NPS The Museum The museum is a great place to start your visit at Aztec Ruins National Monument. A walk through will teach you about the life of ancestral Pueblo people, the construction of the great house, dendrochronology, and more. There are dozens of exhibited cultural items, as well. Pictures are allowed, but please no flash photography. A 15-minute film, Aztec Ruins: Footprints of the Past, plays every hour and half hour. The museum and visitor center are open daily, 9:00am-5:00pm, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. 
Patrick Christman/NPS Junior Ranger Aztec Ruins National Monument offers a Junior Ranger program for the young and the young at heart. No matter what your age, become a Junior Ranger and pledge to protect every national park! Free activity sheets for all ages are available at the visitor center. You earn a badge for completing the activities and discovering more about the ancestral Pueblo people. 
Patrick Christman/NPS Interpretive Programs and Special Events Rangers offer interpretive talks and tours at scheduled times May-September, staff and weather permitting. Other activities can include annual special events like the Indigenous Cultural Arts Festival, Ranger-led tours to Aztec East, traditional dance performances in the Great Kiva, cultural lectures, ethnobotanical plant walks, workshops, demonstrations, and more. 
NPS Photo Heritage Garden and Native Plants Walk The Heritage Garden and the Native Plants Walk are both inside the shady and historic picnic area. Traditional crops like corn, beans, squash, sunflowers, and gourds are grown by park staff and volunteers. Tours are offered in the summer. The Native Plants Walk is located on the west side of the picnic area near the parking lot. Take a quick stroll and see the wild plants that people in the Southwest have relied on for thousands of years. You can follow these links to read about the grasses, herbaceous plants, and succulents as well as the shrubs and trees found on the trail and elsewhere at Aztec Ruins. 
NPS Photo Old Spanish National Historic Trail to Downtown Aztec The Old Spanish Trail was the first recorded trade caravan from Santa Fe, NM all the way to Los Angeles, CA. The first journey was led by Antonio Armijo in 1829, and it was so difficult the traders never took that exact same route again! As you can imagine, it is tricky to find the trail on the ground today, and we really don't know how close the caravan actually came to Aztec Ruins. Today you can follow the nationally desginated trail from the picnic area, and over the bridge across the Animas River. The trail connects to historic downtown Aztec, but there is an unpaved section that might be muddy. Please be prepared. Picnic area to the Animas River- 1/2 mile 
Old Spanish National Historic Trail
Learn more about the Old Spanish National Historic Trail and its retracement through Aztec Ruins. |
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Last updated: May 23, 2024