About 20 miles northeast of Mesa Verde is Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. Established in 2000, this monument has the highest known archaeological site density in the country.
The Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center is at the Anasazi Heritage Center, a museum with over 3.5 million Native American artifacts from SW Colorado.
Humans have inhabited the region for over 10,000 years. There are 6,355 recorded archeological sites including villages, field houses, check dams, reservoirs, great kivas, cliff dwellings, shrines, agricultural fields, petroglyphs and sweat lodges. In some areas there are over 100 sites per square mile and the estimated total number of sites on the 176,000 acres of the monument is 30,000. Wow!
We spent a fair amount of time in the museum as there is so much to see here.
A full size replica of a pit structure has been constructed in the museum. Built in the AD 800s, clusters of these homes have been found in various locations on the grounds.
Many other artifacts can be seen in the museum.
Displays about the archeological process along with hands-on exhibits demonstrating traditional weaving, microscopic analysis of pottery with microscopes, and corn grinding (with a metate and mano). It’s a lot harder to grind corn than it looks!
A display of a trading post showcases items that would have been available in the 1800s. Navajo textiles are featured.
On the museum grounds are two 12th century archeological sites, the Dominguez and Escalante Pueblos (named after Spanish friars who explored the area in 1776). The Dominguez Pueblo consisted of four rooms and a kiva. Built in AD 1123, it was home to one family of 4-5.
A half-mile trail leads to the Escalante Pueblo, once a larger and more elaborate village on a nearby hilltop. McPhee Reservoir and La Plata Mountains can be seen from the trail.
About one third of Escalante has been excavated. Some remains could be seen as we approached the pueblo.
Sand Canyon Pueblo has remains of about 420 rooms, 100 kivas and 14 towers. We did not have the time to hike the Sand Canyon Trail, but this is the largest pueblo at the monument. The trail head can be accessed via a gravel county road that is usually passable in good weather.
The museum here is really worth a visit if you have any interest in this period in our nation’s history. Plus, there are lots of hiking trails to pueblo ruins throughout the monument. Bring plenty of water, sun tan lotion, and enjoy the serenity of the ruins.
The monument is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. For additional information about Canyon of the Ancients, go to www.co.blm.gov/ahc.
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