Lowry Ruin

Lowry Pueblo National Historic Landmark

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Canyons of the Ancients National Monument

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Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2025

1. Lowry Ruin Marker

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From the National Register Nomination prepared by Albert H. Schroeder, 9/24/1962:
Lowry Pueblo, located about 45 Miles northwest of Cortez, Colorado, is a masonry pueblo of about 50 rooms that was occupied during the late 1000s and the early 1100s. It represents the northernmost influence of southern ideas which involved community projects, such as the great kiva situated to the southeast of the pueblo proper.
The pueblo originally was

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2025

2. Lowry Ruin Marker & Kiosk

Welcome to Lowry Pueblo National Historic Landmark

Museum exhibits about Lowry Pueblo and visitor information for Canyons of the Ancients National Monument are available at the Bureau of Land Management Anasazi Heritage Center.

Please protect these Ancestral Puebloan villages for the enjoyment of future generations, stay on the trail, and Leave No Trace of your visit.

You always visit a place like this with respect. Always.
Esther Martinez, San Juan Pueblo

The Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 and the Antiquities Act of 1906 prohibit anyone from removing artifacts or disturbing archaeological sites on federal lands without written permission from the BLM. Do your part to preserve this rich heritage. Please report any vandalism, theft, or damage to the BLM Anasazi Heritage Center near Dolores at (970) 882-4811, or to the Montezuma County Sheriff at (970) 565-8441. The interpretive signs and pueblo stabilization were funded in part by a State Historical Fund grant from the Colorado Historical Society.

a small unit of a few rooms like many others in the vicinity, but differed in having a great kiva (large ceremonial structure) associated. This feature, a southern trait, is present at only a few sites in the general region, attesting that each such site acted as a ceremonial center for a scattered population unit. Like other pueblos farther south, Lowry Pueblo increased in size due to periodic population accretions from other small pueblo units which began to concentrate in the villages with the great kivas.
Construction of the earliest unit exhibits a grade of masonry walls that differs from later additions, and associated pottery has close affinities to that of the Chaco Canyon country. As the pueblo increased in size, masonry work changed. Individual stones were dressed on the outer face, and less mortar was used, however, there seemed to be less stress on coursing the stones. This increased attention to laborious details suggests that a sizable labor pool was available for work of this type and other community projects.
This site was excavated by Dr. Paul S. Martin of the Chicago Natural History Museum in 1930-34.

Excerpt: 

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2025

3. Lowry Ruin Marker & Kiosk

The marker and kiosk are located at the trailhead. Parking is nearby. A short gravel and dirt trail leads to the ruins.

The pueblo was constructed around 1060 AD atop abandoned pithouses from an earlier period of occupation. It was occupied by 40 to 100 people at a time for 165 years. The site is one of the northernmost to be associated with the Puebloan cultures. It is located about 100 miles north of Chaco Canyon, one of the major centers of Ancestral Puebloan culture. The inhabitants were farmers who also hunted small game, made elaborately decorated pottery, and wove cotton obtained by trade. Its last occupation occurred in the early 13th century.
Lowry Pueblo was first excavated during summer field seasons from 1930 to 1934 by Paul Sidney Martin of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. The pueblo was named for the early area homesteader George Lowry. The site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964. In 1965, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which owned the property, undertook a two-year project with the University of Colorado to stabilize the ruins, which had become partially buried. It was incorporated as part of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in 2000.

Excerpt:  Ancient Pueblo people constructed the multi-storied,

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2025

4. Lowry Pueblo Ruins

50-room village on top of the ruins of 8th century pithouses. Used for living quarters and ritual ceremonies by a community of about 100 people, today the ruins exhibit fine masonry construction and a kiva once plastered with bold geometric designs. The site contains one of the largest great kivas found in southwestern Colorado.

Excerpt:  Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, located in the Four Corners region of southwestern Colorado, protects a stunning cultural landscape with the highest known density of archaeological sites in the United States. Encompassing 176,000 acres of public lands, the Monument features more than 8,300 documented sites—including villages, kivas, field houses, cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, and ancient roadways—with estimates suggesting over 30,000 yet to be recorded. These sites offer a window into over 12,000 years of human history, primarily shaped by Ancestral Puebloan cultures and their descendants.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2025

5. Lowry Pueblo Ruins

Some of the ruins are today covered and protected by a massive steel canopy.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2025

6. The Great Kiva