Canyons of the Ancients National Monument
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument encompasses 164,000 acres of southwest Colorado. It was established on June 9, 2000, to protect the cultural and natural resources of the canyons and mesas.
For hundreds of years, the canyons and mesas that make up what is now the Four Corners were inhabited by the Ancestral Puebloans. Today, some areas have more than 100 sites per square mile and some village sites cover 10 acres or more. Archaeologists estimate that there are tens of thousands of sites within the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument — the highest density of archeological sites in the nation.
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
Lowry Pueblo
Located on County Road CC, about 12 miles west of Pleasant View, Lowry Pueblo is a 1,000-year-old Ancestral Puebloan village. It was constructed around AD 1060 and was inhabited for about 165 years. It started as a small village with a single kiva. By the time the village was abandoned it had grown to 40 rooms and had eight kivas and a Great Kiva.
Anasazi Heritage Center
Your starting point in exploring the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is the Anasazi Heritage Center. Located on Highway 84, about 3 miles west of Dolores, the center has exhibits, galleries, and interactive programs on the Ancestral Puebloan resources found throughout the Four Corners.
McElmo Canyon
Traversing the southern edge of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is the historic route of McElmo Canyon (County Road G). This road allows visitors access to hiking trails in a number of side canyons, including Sand and Rock Creek canyons, that contain Ancestral Puebloan sites in natural sandstone alcoves.
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The Anasazi Heritage Center is your first stop in exploring Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
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Rock Canyon site in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
Please Remember: Cultural resources are not renewable. All sites, artifacts, and historical items are protected by the Archaeological Resource Protection Act of 1979
Erected by US
this page online
Topics. This historical marker and monument is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Environment • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is June 9, 2000.
Location. 37° 20.953′ N, 108° 34.37′ W. Marker is in Cortez, Colorado, in Montezuma County. It is on Mildred Road north of Main Street (U.S. 160), on the left when traveling north. Marker is at the Colorado Welcome Center kiosk. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 928 East Main Street, Cortez CO 81321, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker and monument 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 Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Welcome to the San Juan Skyway (here, next
Also see . . .
1. Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. (Submitted on November 16, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Anasazi Heritage Center at Wikipedia. (Submitted on November 16, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 16, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 16, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 385 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 16, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
