New Mexico Ancestral Pueblo People & Fort Union

Travel along ancient footpaths and ruins through the homes and communities of Ancestral Pueblo People in New Mexico, dating back over a thousand years! - Chaco Culture National Historical Park - A special canyon that was central to thousands of people between 850 and 1250 A.D. In modern times, it is possible to experience the organizational and engineering marvels not seen anywhere else in the American Southwest. - Aztec Ruins National Monument - Viewed as part of the Pueblo people's migration journey, today you can explore a 900-year old ancestral Pueblo Great House with over 400 masonry rooms and see original timbers holding up roofs. Experience the 3rd largest Great Kiva in the world. - Bandelier National Monument - Explore over 33,000 acres of protected canyon and mesa country as well as indications of a human presence here going back over 11,000 years. Petroglyphs, rock cliff dwellings and standing masonry walls pay tribute to the early days of a culture that still survives. - El Morro National Monument - This Grand Mesa, considered sacred ground, is home to thousands of signatures, dates, messages, petroglyphs and interconnected structures near a spring fed water source. Thirst quenched for hundreds of years by Ancestral Puebloans, Spanish and American travelers. - El Malpais National Monument - In the land of fire and ice, volcanic landscape offers cinder cones, lava tube caves, sandstone bluffs, wildlife and hiking trails. - Pecos National Historical Park - Enjoy indian pueblos that provided cultural exchange and geographic features that played crucial roles in the rich trading history of the Pecos Valley. - Capulin Volcano National Monument - For 60,000 years, Capulin Volcano has been the Sentinel of the Plains. Although primarily known for its volcanic geology, the park has a rich diversity of plant and animal life to explore. More recently, Fort Union National Monument was established on the Santa Fe Trail as a garrison and supply depot where thousands of military personnel and civilians carved out a thriving community at the cross roads of the Southwest.