Aztec in San Juan County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)

A Vibrant Pueblo

Aztec Ruins National Monument

Photographed by Jason Voigt, October 14, 2021

1. A Vibrant Pueblo Marker

Inscription. In the early 1100s, travelers on this familiar path could see a sprawling settlement ahead. Across the river, ceremonial kivas and great houses with hundreds of rooms dominated the landscape. Smaller house-style unit pueblos and farming areas spread up and down the river valley.

Today our modern landscape hides its secrets. But below the surface, researchers find evidence of an Ancestral Pueblo community and its distinct version of age-old human habitation: farming, hunting, digging ditches, and hauling wood.

Though we cannot know what they thought or felt, we know that people here made pots, wove fabrics, and grew medicinal herbs. We know they laughed and loved, told stories and played games, cooked favorite meals, bore children, and reared generations of daughters and sons.

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

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 36° 49.982′ N, 107° 59.813′ W. Marker is in Aztec, New Mexico, in San Juan County. It can be reached from Road 2900 east of Ruins Road. Marker is on a paved walking trail. Touch for map

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. Marker is at or near this postal address: 725 Ruins Road, Aztec NM 87410, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in New Mexico’s San Juan Basin.

It is also in the American Southwest,

in the 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 New Spain.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Daring Plan (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Crossroads Through Time (about 400 feet away); At Home on the River (about 400 feet away); A River's Ancient Gifts (about 400 feet away); Armijo Returns Triumphant (about 700 feet away); Aztec Ruins National Monument (approx. 0.2 miles away); "For the Enlightenment of the Nation" (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Aztec Ruins National Monument (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Aztec.

More about this marker. This is one of six markers (as of October 2021), placed by the NPS, that are part of a trail that is to connect from the Aztec Ruins National Monument to Main Street in Aztec. The trail is to tell the history of the Old Spanish Trail. Parts of the trail were under construction at this time.

Photographed by Jason Voigt, October 14, 2021

2. A Vibrant Pueblo Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on October 22, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 22, 2021, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 258 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 22, 2021, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.