Place

Garden Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 5

corn, beans, and squash plants in a garden with ridges and depressions like a waffle
Waffle garden

NPS

Quick Facts

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Scenic View/Photo Spot

Evidence of the first people in this area dates back to over 11,000 years. Stone spear points have been found but early hunter-gatherers moved across the landscape and didn’t build many permanent structures. As these early people traveled following game animals they collected nuts, fruits, and seeds when available.  Look around. If you had been traveling through this area for generations, would you pick the lush canyon bottom or the drier mesa tops for your permanent home? The reality is that the Ancestral Pueblo people did both, living much of the year in the canyon but traveling to the mesa in the summer to farm.

Bandelier National Monument

Last updated: May 22, 2022