Jemez Historic Site

 

Jimez is the location of 16th century Giusewa Pueblo ruins and a 17th century Spanish mission San Jose de los Jemez.

Franciscans established the mission complex after multiple botched previous attempts in Jemez Indian territory.

The pueblo and mission was abandoned in 1680 when the Pueblo Rebellion drove the Spanish from the area until 1692.

The missionaries called kivas "estufas of idolatry" and destroyed them when possible.

Take the 4 freeway to get there! The 126 is a rough unpaved road through the mountains.

Gisewa is the Jemez word for hot springs; there are many nearby.

Aztec Ruins National Monument

 

Aztec Ruins National Monument, located in northwestern New Mexico, was misattributed to the Aztecs by 19th century pioneers.

The site was actually built by Ancestral Puebloans in the 12th and 13th centuries.

The stonemasons that built the Aztec Ruins also built the massive structures at Chaco Canyon nearby.

Aztec Ruins also has influences of Mesa Verde architecture; it is unclear if this is due to trade or migration. 

Aztec Ruins was also abandoned around 1300.

Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado is home to the most spectacular Ancestral Puebloan ruins.

 

The Square Tower House is the tallest standing structure in the park. Most dwellings in Mesa Verde were built in the 13th century AD. 

The Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in the park, housing over a hundred people.

Spruce Tree House had at least 120 rooms and eight kivas.

The Sun Temple is an odd walled structure on the top of a mesa built for unknown purposes.

Duck hunters?

Ladles and duck jars

It is believed drought forced the Pueblo to move less than 100 years after some of Mesa Verde's most impressive structures were built.