Los Alamos in Los Alamos County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Ancestral Pueblo Site

Los Alamos Historical Walking Tour

Photographed by James Hulse, March 25, 2025

1. Ancestral Pueblo Site Marker

Inscription. In the 1200s, this site was home to a group of Tewa-speaking people who may have come from Mesa Verde or Chaco Canyon. They built structures with blocks of tuff (welded volcanic ash). This building was two stories high and contained bedrooms, cooking areas, storage rooms, and a semi-circular kiva-used for ceremonies and meetings-for the two to three families who lived here.

Overpopulation along with drought, depleted soils, and declining numbers of game caused the Ancestral Puebloans to leave the Pajarito Plateau around the 1500s. Ranch School students and Lab scientists conducted many archaeological excavations here. The site was reconstructed in the early 2000s with help of experts from Bandelier National Monument and input from local Pueblos.

Below: Frederick Worman at an archaeological site on Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) land in 1967. Right top to bottom: Bandelier National Monument cliff dwellings circa 1920s; Los Alamos Ranch School student at Ceremonial Cave (Alcove House) circa 1920s; Worman and Zia crew at an archaeological site on LASL (now Los Alamos National Laboratory) land in 1967. (photos courtery Los Alamos Historical Society)

Pick up a copy of the Historical Walking Tour Guide at the Los Alamos History Museum, Bradbury Science Museum, Los Alamos Nature Center, any of

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the Visitor Centers, or one of the visitor guide kiosks around town. Download one by scanning the QR code, or go to visitlosalamos.org.

Erected by Los Alamos.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 1967.

Location. 35° 52.975′ N, 106° 18.088′ W. Marker is in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in Los Alamos County. It is at the intersection of 19th Street and Juniper Street on 19th Street. The marker is located next to the archeological site. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Los Alamos NM 87544, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern New Mexico.

It is also in the American Southwest.

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: The Big House (a few steps from this marker); Fire Cache (a few steps from this marker); Romero Cabin (a few steps from this marker); Los Alamos Ranch School Dormitory (a few steps from this marker); Five Eras of History (within shouting distance of this marker); Bathtub Row (within shouting distance of this marker); Hitching Rail (within shouting distance of this marker); Memorial Rose Garden (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Alamos.

Other markers no longer nearby. The Romero Cabin (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed);

The Ancestral Pueblo Site and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, March 25, 2025

2. The Ancestral Pueblo Site and Marker

Homesteading on the Pajarito Plateau, 1887-1942 (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Harold H. Brook (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Albert J. Connell (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); William Mackwood Hopper (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Martha Brook (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . .
1. Los Alamos where discoveries are made. Los Alamos County (Submitted on April 7, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

2. Historical Walking Tour Map. Los Alamos Historical Museum

Walk from the Stone Age to the atomic age. Your walking tour spans eight centuries of Los Alamos history, from ancestral Pueblos, through homesteading on the Pajarito Plateau, to the future of science and technology. We hope that it will be just the beginning of your acquaintance with Los Alamos.

(Submitted on April 8, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Ancestral Pueblo Site and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, March 25, 2025

3. Ancestral Pueblo Site and Marker

The Ancestral Pueblo Site image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, March 25, 2025

4. The Ancestral Pueblo Site

Credits. This page was last revised on April 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 7, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 282 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 8, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.