Aztec Ruins National Monument, at Aztec in the northwestern corner of
the state, was set aside to preserve an outstanding example of classical
Pueblo construction, one of the largest pre-Spanish villages in the
Southwest. More than 40,000 visitors come to the Monument each year.
Tree-ring dates indicate that most of the big central pueblo was rapidly
constructed during the period 1106 to 1121. At this time, the people of
Aztec were influenced by the cultural center to the south, Chaco Canyon.
During the last half of the 1100’s, after the decline of Chaco Canyon
had begun, the people of Aztec began to look toward the north, and by
1200, Mesa Verde ideas dominated the region. Aztec was abandoned by
about 1300, as was the rest of the general region.
Of particular interest at Aztec Ruins National Monument is the
reconstructed Great Kiva. The Pueblo Indians built separate rooms, now
known as kivas, for ceremonial purposes. During the period of Chaco
influence, the people at Aztec constructed a very large circular
building, 48 feet in diameter, in their plaza. Its features differ from
those of the small kivas and establish it as a Great Kiva, similar to
those at Chaco. The Great Kivas represent the peak of religious
architecture among the Pueblos. The Great Kiva at Aztec was completely
restored in 1934 by Earl H. Morris, of the American Museum of Natural
History.