Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Montezuma Valley

Land of the Ancient Pueblo People

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 10, 2020

1. Montezuma Valley Marker

Inscription. Montezuma Valley (below you) and Mesa Verde (where you now stand) were once part of the Ancestral Pueblo homeland. Between 600 and 1280 CE*, hundreds of villages and farming communities thrived on the mesas, plateaus, and canyons that form this landscape. Archaeologists estimate that has many as 35,000 Ancestral Pueblo people lived in this region during the 1200s. Comparatively, Montezuma Valley had a population of about 24,000 people at the beginning of the 21st century.

*CE means Common Era (1280 CE = AD 1280)

Ancestral Pueblo people lived in the entire Four Corners Region. Examples of other Ancestral Pueblo community sites nearby include Yucca House National Monument outside of Cortez and Hovenweep National Monument in Utah.

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument covers much of the landscape before you. It contains the highest known archaeological site density in the United States, preserving extensive evidence of a rich, multi-dimensional native culture.

Captions [Left to right]
• Yucca House, Yucca House National Monument NPS Photo
• Holly Group, Hovenweep National Monument NPS Photo/Jacob W. Frank
• Site

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in Goodman Canyon, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Photo/Deb Jensen
• Site in Rock Canyon, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Photo/Deb Jensen
• Site east of Sand Canyon, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Photo/Robert Jensen
• Lowry Pueblo, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument NPS Photo
• Saddlehorn Pueblo, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument NPS Photo/Beth Dodd
• Lower Sand Canyon Pueblo, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument NPS Photo

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 600 CE.

Location. 37° 17.797′ N, 108° 26.495′ W. Marker is in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, in Montezuma County. It can be reached from Mesa Top Ruins Road (State Highway 10). Marker is at the Montezuma Valley Overlook, on a short trail leading from the pullout. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mancos CO 81328, United States

Montezuma Valley Marker Detail image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 10, 2020

2. Montezuma Valley Marker Detail

Picture map of Ancestral Pueblo sites

of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Mountain West,

in Colorado Plateau,

and at the Four Corners.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Knife Edge... (within shouting distance of this marker); Mancos Valley (approx. 1.8 miles away); Natural Seep Springs (approx. 2.7 miles away); A Monument to Time (approx. 2.7 miles away); Four Corners (approx. 3.9 miles away); Cortez (approx. 3.9 miles away); Southwest Survival (approx. 3.9 miles away); Mesa Verde Country (approx. 3.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mesa Verde National Park.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 10, 2020

3. Montezuma Valley Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on December 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 22, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,612 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 22, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.