Aztec Ruins National Monument
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| Aztec Ruins National Monument | |
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| IUCN Category III (Natural Monument) | |
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| Location: | San Juan County, New Mexico, USA |
| Nearest city: | Aztec, New Mexico |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 317.71 acres (1.29 km²) |
| Established: | January 24, 1923 |
| Total Visitation: | 44,050 (in 2005) |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
Aztec Ruins National Monument preserves ancestral Pueblo structures in north-western New Mexico, United States, located close to the town of Aztec and northeast of Farmington, near the Animas River. Salmon Ruins and Heritage Park, with more ancestral Pueblo structures, lies a short distance to the south, just west of Bloomfield and near the San Juan River.
The buildings date back to the 11th to 13th centuries, and the misnomer attributing them to the Aztec civilization can be traced back to early American settlers in the mid-19th century.
The site was declared "Aztec Ruin National Monument" on January 24, 1923, and with a boundary change it was renamed "Ruins" on July 2, 1928. As an historical property of the National Park Service the National Monument was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. Aztec Ruins was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, as part of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, on December 8, 1987.
[edit] References
- The National Parks: Index 2001–2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.
[edit] External links
- National Park Service website
- UNESCO World Heritage site
- Aztec Ruins National Monument - Aztec, New Mexico
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