Welcome to Chimney Rock National Monument

Welcome to Chimney Rock National Monument. An Ancestral Puebloan Cultural Landmark. Learning About Our Past, Preserving Our Legacy , The extraordinary archaeological resources at Chimney Rock have helped illuminate the history of the ancestral Puebloans who lived here over a thousand years ago. They built structures from the valley floors to the mesa tops, including the highest ceremonial Great House in the Southwest., They left behind clues of their livelihood in architecture, pottery, stone tools, and other artifacts that have been subjects of study since the 1920s. More recently, anthropologists working with tribes and pueblos of the southwest have strengthened our understanding of , and connections to , this site. But the more we learn, the more questions we have., Chimney Rock was designated as a national monument in 2012 to preserve its spiritual, historic, and scientific resources., Visit With Respect , Archaeological sites encompass irreplaceable pieces of our cultural heritage. Please help preserve the legacy of this special place and its link to the past. , . Please leave all food in your car. Crumbs attract rodents that tunnel and nest in sites, accelerating deterioration. , . Avoid stepping on walls, do not move rocks, and never remove pieces of pottery or other artifacts. In their original context, artifacts tell stories about the past. Out of context, artifacts can lose much of their meaning. , . Treat sites with respect , tribes and pueblos of the Southwest consider Chimney Rock to be part of their ancestral homelands and they have a deep spiritual connection to this site., We invite you to experience Chimney Rock and find your own connection to this special place , a part of our shared national legacy., Captions , Left: The Great Kiva , a special purpose ceremonial room , is the largest excavated single-room structure on the upper mesa. , Right: Above: Black-on-white pottery from Chimney Rock provides evidence of a connection to the Chaco culture. (Photo courtesy of Chimney Rock Interpretive Association.) , Left: A mano (smaller rock) and metate (larger base rock) was used to grind corn. This example is similar to those from Chimney Rock. (Photo Courtesy of the American Southwest Virtual Museum.)