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A series of doorways through rooms in the Aztec West great house.

NPS Photo

Footprint of Ancestral Pueblo Society

From the late 1000s to the late 1200s, people known as ancestral Puebloans planned and built this settlement along the Animas River. It included large public buildings, smaller structures, earthworks, and ceremonial buildings. Aztec's extended community rivaled Chaco Canyon, 55 miles south, which flourished between 850 and 1130 CE (Common Era). At first, Aztec may have been a place that supported Chacoan influenced activities, but later may have been a center in its own right as Chaco Canyon's regional influence waned.

The self-guided visitor trail though Aztec Ruins winds through an ancestral Pueblo great house that was once the center of a large regional community. The half-mile trail will take you through a restored Great Kiva, or ceremonial structure, and through original rooms with timber roofs still intact. At it's height, Aztec West had over 400 rooms and was three stories high. A large percentage of the original structure is still in place. Please stay on the trail for your own safety and to help protect these fragile resources.

There's even more to see and do at Aztec Ruins, including museum exhibits, a 15-minute video, Junior Ranger programs, a segment of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail that leads to the Animas River, and a Heritage Garden.

Make the most of your visit by checking out when we're open, how to get here, ranger programs and special events, weather, and pet regulations.