Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in southwest Colorado is a treasure trove of archaeological significance, encompassing over 176,000 acres of federal land. Administered by the Bureau of Land Management, the Canyons of the Ancients boasts the highest known density of archaeological sites in the United States, offering a profound glimpse into a cultural landscape inhabited for at least 10,000 years. This monumental area is not merely a collection of isolated ruins but a complete cultural landscape containing more than 6,355 recorded sites, with estimates suggesting up to 30,000 in total. These sites reflect every facet of past human life, including villages, field houses, check dams, reservoirs, great kivas, cliff dwellings, shrines, sacred springs, agricultural fields, petroglyphs, and sweat lodges, with some areas featuring over 100 sites per square mile.
Understanding the layers of history at Canyons of the Ancients National Monument provides insight into the enduring human spirit and adaptation to a dynamic environment. From early nomadic hunters to complex settled societies and later indigenous groups, the story of this landscape is etched deeply into its canyons and mesas.
A Deep Dive into Time: The Human History of Canyons of the Ancients
Paleoindians and the Archaic Period
The human story in this region began as early as the late Pleistocene era, approximately 10,000 years ago. Small bands of Paleoindians roamed this cool, moist environment, skillfully hunting large game like mammoths and camels while gathering wild plant foods. As millennia passed, the climate gradually warmed and became drier. This shift defined the Archaic period, beginning about 7,500 years ago, during which increasing numbers of hunters and gatherers adapted their diets to a wider variety of plants and animals thriving in the warmer conditions.
The Rise of Pueblo Culture: Basketmakers and Ancestral Puebloans
A pivotal change occurred about 4,000 years ago with the introduction of agriculture from the south, marking the genesis of Pueblo culture in the Four Corners area. The Basketmaker II people began to supplement their foraging with cultivated corn and squash, leading to a more settled lifestyle. By approximately 2,500 years ago, corn had become the primary caloric source for these communities.
Later, the Basketmaker III people further evolved their agricultural practices by adding beans, an essential protein, to their crops. They also pioneered pottery making and adopted the bow-and-arrow for hunting. Clusters of small family farms began to form the first truly settled communities across the landscape. Around 1,300 years ago, coinciding with warmer, drier weather during the Pueblo I period, many families relocated to higher elevations, such as the Dolores River Valley, establishing numerous villages and showcasing a transition from a hunting and gathering existence to a farming-dependent one.
By approximately 750 AD, the Ancestral Puebloans, direct predecessors of modern-day Pueblo Indians, occupied a vast area that included the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. Their year-round villages initially consisted of clustered pit houses. Over time, they developed more sophisticated masonry homes with connecting walls built above ground. Some of these intricate structures were strategically located at canyon heads, providing access to vital springs for water, while others became iconic cliff dwellings.
The end of this era saw severe drought, forcing many people to migrate from the region. However, farmers resettled the area during the more favorable climate of the Pueblo II period, beginning around 920 AD. As wild game became scarce, families increasingly relied on their crops, and by 1100 AD, domesticated turkeys emerged as a significant food source. Communities rapidly expanded across the landscape, and during the early Pueblo III period, around 1170 AD, the population experienced a dramatic surge.
Ultimately, factors such as population growth, soil exhaustion, and changing weather patterns strained the area’s natural resources. A severe, long-term drought, commencing around 1276 AD, led to poor or failed corn crops. The scarcity of elk and deer forced people to hunt smaller animals like rabbits, rodents, and birds, and even carnivores. While some villagers migrated early in the drought, others persevered, attempting to survive the harsh conditions. Sometime after 1277 AD, Sand Canyon Pueblo endured a devastating attack, possibly from other Pueblo communities competing for dwindling resources. Many residents were killed, and the survivors soon after migrated away. By approximately 1300 AD, these Ancestral Puebloans had departed, migrating to New Mexico’s Rio Grande Valley or further west to the ancestral lands of the Acoma, Laguna, Zuni, and Hopi people.
Ute, Navajo, and Spanish Encounters
Following the departure of the Ancestral Puebloans, the nomadic Ute and Navajo peoples utilized the diverse topography of the monument area, moving between lower areas, mesas, and canyons during cooler seasons for hunting and gathering. Remnants such as forked stick hogans, brush shelters, and wickiups are the most evident signs of their occupation.
Spanish Conquistadors arrived in northern New Mexico during the 16th century, introducing trade items like guns and horses, new and often deadly diseases, and cultural influences in religion, language, and governance. Ute communities were well-established in western Colorado by the late 1700s, with archaeological evidence suggesting their ancestors arrived centuries earlier. Both Ute and Hopi oral histories recount periods when Ute and Ancestral Pueblo people coexisted in the region. Historically, Navajo people were primarily based south of the San Juan River, while Ute groups occupied the north side. While scholars debate the precise timing of the Navajo’s arrival, they were likely present in southwestern Colorado by the early 1500s. These indigenous groups continued to use the monument’s mesas and canyons for sustenance, leaving behind hogans, brush shelters, and wickiups. Today, many descendant peoples still maintain strong ties to these ancestral homelands.
In July 1776, Father Silvestre Velez de Escalante, accompanied by Francisco Dominguez and eight others, embarked from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Their mission was to discover a safe route to California, avoiding the treacherous Mohave Desert and Grand Canyon. After several weeks, they camped near the Dolores River, where Father Escalante documented the remains of a village overlooking the river in his journal, noting its resemblance to contemporary Pueblo villages in New Mexico. This discovery became the first recorded archaeological site in what is now Colorado and was later named Escalante Pueblo. The Dominguez Pueblo was excavated and named two centuries later.
The Spanish explorers encountered Ute hunters in the Dolores area, who provided food and guided the party for several months. Due to dwindling provisions and the onset of winter, the expedition abandoned its primary goal and returned to Santa Fe. Despite not reaching California, the expedition was instrumental in establishing a portion of the Old Spanish Trail, which later facilitated trade between the United States and Mexican territories.
Anglo-American Settlement and Modern Preservation
The early 19th century saw the arrival of the first Anglo-American people, primarily trappers. The discovery of precious ores in the latter half of the 19th century drew miners and other settlers to the region. By the mid-19th century, conflicts between the United States government and Native American tribes escalated over land ownership, leading to numerous skirmishes and casualties. These conflicts eventually resulted in treaties that significantly reduced Ute territories and established reservations, often far removed from their original homelands. The Navajo had also moved south, and the Ute territory was drastically diminished.
Under the Homestead Act of 1862, citizens over 21 or heads of households could claim up to 160 acres of public land. Homesteading farmers in this area, much like the Ancestral Puebloans before them, relied entirely on seasonal rain and snowfall for their crops. Land was cleared by hand, and gardens were established to feed families and livestock. Trips to town were infrequent, requiring days of meticulous planning and travel.
The Canyons of the Ancients National Monument was officially designated on June 9, 2000, by Presidential Proclamation. This designation was a critical step in protecting the immense cultural and natural resources of this unique landscape.
Exploring Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Today
The Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum
Visitors to Canyons of the Ancients National Monument are highly encouraged to begin their journey at the Visitor Center and Museum located near Dolores, Colorado. This serves as an essential hub for obtaining current information about the Monument, acquiring maps, and immersing oneself in the museum’s extensive exhibits, informative films, and engaging hands-on discovery area. It is also recognized as Colorado’s premier archaeological museum dedicated to the Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) and other Native Cultures of the Four Corners region. The museum features:
- Permanent exhibits on archaeology, local history, and Native American cultures.
- Access to two fascinating 12th-century archaeological sites.
- Special exhibits and a calendar of events throughout the year.
- Valuable educational resources specifically designed for teachers.
- A comprehensive research library focused on archaeology and anthropology.
- An extensive research collection containing over 3 million artifacts and records from archaeological projects throughout southwest Colorado.
- A pleasant picnic area, a half-mile nature trail, and a gift shop.
Notable Archaeological Sites Within the Monument
Beyond the visitor center, the monument offers a wealth of individual sites to explore:
Castle Rock Pueblo
This pueblo, constructed around a striking sandstone butte, was active from the 1250s to the 1280s AD. It is contemporary with the smaller cliff dwellings found along the lower Sand Canyon Trail. During limited excavations conducted by Crow Canyon Archaeological Center archaeologists in 1993 and 1994, at least 16 kivas were discovered. Interestingly, while most kivas in this area are circular, one was rectangular, a building shape also utilized by modern Hopi people. The village complex further includes 40 above-ground rooms, nine potential towers, and a distinctive D-shaped enclosure.
Sand Canyon Pueblo
Around 1250 AD, families converged at the head of Sand Canyon to build a large and remarkably compact village. This formidable settlement was encircled by a thick, single-story, U-shaped wall that enclosed hundreds of square rooms, numerous round kivas, and communal structures including a central plaza, a large D-shaped building, and a great kiva. The village’s design strongly suggests it was conceived with defense in mind, possibly due to regional conflicts over dwindling resources. A vital spring was situated at the heart of the village, ensuring residents had exclusive access to their all-important water source. The thick outer stone wall incorporated small, angled peepholes and limited doorways, enhancing its defensive capabilities. Towers built against the exterior face of the wall served as excellent lookouts, accessible only from within the village. By 1275 AD, Sand Canyon Pueblo had grown to approximately three times the size of Cliff Palace, the largest pueblo at Mesa Verde National Park. An estimated 600 people, deemed healthy by the standards of their time, lived in the village for a generation or more, primarily relying on rain-fed cornfields and maintaining sizable flocks of turkeys. Construction at the pueblo ceased around 1280 AD, followed by a period of migration.
Double Cliff House
Ingeniously built into two ledges of an alcove, the Pueblo people likely used a ladder to access the two upper rooms of this dwelling. A window is still visible in one of the upper chambers. The stone masonry, protected by the natural alcove, remains remarkably well-preserved. The upper ledge spans approximately 40 feet in length. Archaeologists recorded and mapped Double Cliff House in 1965, finding pottery sherds and stone tools that indicate its use during the thirteenth century, specifically the 1200s AD.
Corncob House
The inhabitants of Corncob House utilized a single alcove to construct their home. The masonry walls feature three feet of double-coursed rock, forming a wide, shallow U-shape, with loose sandy trash behind them, possibly to create a flat foundation or platform for another structure. The midden in front of the site has eroded over time. Excavations in 1965 yielded ancient corncobs, two yucca leaf strips tied in knots, and fragments of fiber or loose cordage.
Lowry Pueblo
A designated National Historic Landmark, Lowry Pueblo comprises eight kivas, a significant great (community) kiva, and 40 rooms that once stood as high as three stories. This pueblo was constructed around 1060 AD atop abandoned pithouses from an earlier period of occupation. It was inhabited by 40 to 100 people at a time for approximately 165 years. The impressive underground great kiva, built around 1103 AD, featured murals painted over roughly five layers of plaster. Around 1110 AD, another kiva was constructed directly atop the original. Given the size of the great kiva, it is believed that Lowry Pueblo may have served as a vital local center for religious gatherings and celebrations. This site is notable for being one of the northernmost to be associated with the Puebloan cultures. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964, it was formally incorporated into the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in 2000.
Sunny Alcove
The architecture at Sunny Alcove includes eight rooms and a kiva. During archaeological research conducted here in 1965, corncobs, 67 pottery sherds, and fragments of grinding stones were discovered. Sunny Alcove is particularly notable for its remarkably preserved wall niches, which once included wooden latches near the doorway.
Tucked Away Two Story House
At this site, the walls of one complete room still stand approximately two stories high, featuring a small window facing south. There is also a doorway to the west, equipped with toeholds and a masonry ledge. Based on masonry rubble outlines to the west, archaeologists estimate there were about five rooms in total. When the site was recorded in 1965, stone flakes and an edge-ground stone scraper were found. Pottery sherds identified as Mancos Corrugated, plain gray, whitewater, and Mancos Black-on-white were also documented. While this type of pottery may suggest a home from the 1100s AD, the masonry style is more indicative of the 1200s AD.
Wall Curves with Bedrock House
This is a small cliff dwelling characterized by one nearly complete room and several wall remnants. The western section of the site features a T-shaped doorway and a south-facing window in the south wall. A second-story doorway and two smaller south-facing windows are also present. During the site’s recording in 1965, pottery sherds identified as Mancos Corrugated, Plain Gray, Mancos Black-on-white, Plain White, and Mesa Verde Black-on-white were found. These pottery types indicate manufacture during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries (1100–1300). A pendant was also discovered at the site.
Conclusion: Preserving a Priceless Past
The Canyons of the Ancients National Monument stands as a powerful testament to the ingenuity, resilience, and rich cultural tapestry of ancient peoples in North America. Its unparalleled concentration of archaeological sites provides an invaluable, unbroken narrative of human adaptation, environmental change, and cultural evolution over thousands of years. As a protected landscape, the monument not only preserves these irreplaceable historical records but also serves as an extraordinary outdoor laboratory and classroom for researchers and visitors alike. Exploring the varied landscapes and numerous sites within Canyons of the Ancients National Monument offers a deeply moving and educational experience, connecting us directly to the lives and legacies of those who shaped this remarkable corner of the American Southwest.
