Aztec West Audio Tour: Stop #2

The second numbered stop along the Aztec West self-guided audio tour.

NPS

The trail through the Aztec West great house is 0.5 mile in length and requires about 40 minutes to complete using the audio tour. Most of the trail is paved and accessible to wheelchairs, with some steps and low doorways. Wheelchairs are available at the visitor center to borrow upon request.

• Stop #2

  
  

  The second numbered stop on the Aztec West self-guided audio tour.

  Date created:

  08/15/2020

  Audio Transcript

  People would have entered the great house here through an arc of single story rooms and into the plaza. From here you can see the extent of this grand, pre-planned community. Its walls still tower three stories tall in places. The majority of this building was completed in only 30 years. While it continued to serve the people for 200 years, its primary function may have changed over time, from community center to living space. Look to your right and spot the remains of Aztec East, an excavated great house that is similar in size to the building in front of you. Together with several other structures, they would have served as a ceremonial and economic center for the surrounding villages, where most people lived.