AZTEC RUINS National Monument | Exploring a Great Kiva as it Looked Before | New Mexico

New Mexico has no shortage of Ancestral Puebloan structures to explore, but one stands above the rest offering the chance to turn back time and step into a great kiva as would have been used centuries before. This is not to be missed!
Located in northern New Mexico stands Aztec Ruins National Monument. This near millennia-old great house illustrates how the Ancestral Puebloan people lived.
This park may be smaller than other nearby parks, however, Aztec Ruins have something one won't see elsewhere - a reconstructed Great Kiva. Visitors can step inside and down into the shaded kiva and into the past. Whereas other kivas one may see are open round pit-like structures in the ground, this great kiva has plastered and painted walls, with completed ladders and a wooden roof.
Elsewhere one may see T-shaped doors, intact rooms, and original wood. There are several rooms where one must duck very low to enter.
In total, the trail is a half-mile through the grounds.
VIDEO FILMED: 07/24/2022
▬▬ R E L A T E D V I D E O S ▬▬
⚪ CHACO CULTURE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK - Uncovering the MYSTERY | Chaco Canyon, New Mexico - • CHACO CULTURE NATIONAL...
▬▬ L O C A T I O N I N F O ▬▬
⚪ AZTEC RUINS NATIONAL MONUMENT - www.nps.gov/azru/index.htm
⚪ Directions to AZTEC RUINS NATIONAL MONUMENT - goo.gl/maps/Z1i8VXT9PsLHKz6B6
▬▬ T I M E S T A M P S ▬▬
00:00 Who Lived at Aztec Ruins?
04:55 Reconstructed Great Kiva
08:49 Comparison to Chaco Canyon
13:21 Walking Through the Rooms
▬▬ L I N K S ▬▬
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Welcome to the Cactus Atlas! We are Glenn and Amy and invite you to join us as we visit all sorts of locations across the American West. We tour both natural and man-made attractions.
Our base of operations is in the Phoenix, AZ area. We do a lot of hiking and day trips as well as campground reviews and hope that we will be a great resource if you are planning a trip to the American West. We also hope to delight you with our exciting adventures!

[@SweetlyDarkArt]

I have to always give a small giggle when I see people coming to my hometown Aztec. My property is next door to the Aztec Ruins so I see my house in the distance in small snippets. I think the two best times to visit the Ruins is on the Summer and Winter Solstices. It hits the Kiva just so and is so magical when you visit.

[@CactusAtlas]

That's wild that you live so close. And I'm not surprised about the summer and winter solstices as it seems a lot of these complexes were built with intent to direction and location of the heavens.

[@AlanDayley]

I love the roof beams and their patterns!

[@akamazon3]

My husband and I were there in 2015. Amazing place. His father grew up in the area, and told me that his mother, as a young girl, played in the ruins, obviously before it was a national monument. I'm 6'2", with bad knees, so I didn't even try to walk through the little doors. lol. It was very interesting to actually get to see what I didn't when we were there. Thanks for sharing!

[@CactusAtlas]

They aren't easy squeezes getting under and through those doorways for sure. Happy to share other parts of the park with you. 😊

[@patriciashirley7095]

Wow what a great piece of history I've never been their It looks so adventures to find Love your show thanks Amy.

[@CactusAtlas]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it! 😊

[@fjr3950]

Nice job! Yes, the re-built kiva is really something. Feels like an Indiana Jones temple...

[@CactusAtlas]

Agree. Being inside certainly drives home the idea of being in something important in a different time period. 👍 Thanks for watching!

[@candymcclure2476]

I loved Chaco and this is a very interesting place. Gramma Candy

[@CactusAtlas]

It's interesting to see what a finished kiva looks like compared to the remains of Chaco, isn't it? 😊

[@LoriBH]

Glenn is such an engaging guide-I really enjoyed his narration and curiosity about this place. It’s on our must-see list now. Nice work on this video, you two!

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you! Your kind feedback means so much to us. 😊

[@SidetrackAdventures]

I've always wondered about this place but never headed out there. Seeing that reconstruction was great. It really gives an idea of what the buildings looked like and puts the rest of the place in perspective.

[@CactusAtlas]

Indeed! After seeing so many kivas merely looking like circular pits, to step down into one was such a different experience.

[@SomeplaceOrAnother]

Wow 🤩 this is pretty neat 😎

[@CactusAtlas]

Thanks! 😁

[@KaitlynBB]

omg this place is huge. Great vid

[@CactusAtlas]

It's such a cool place to explore. Really enjoy those places where one gets to go in and be fully immersed in what it might have been like to reside there day to day.

[@DovieRuthAuthor]

This is an instance when time travel to the past would be wonderful. I would to meet a native who could explain the function of each of the tiny mysterious rooms.

[@CactusAtlas]

You and me both! I would especially love to know why the entryways or passageways from room to room were so tiny. Were they storerooms? Did each family reside in one? So many questions! 😅

[@stevewilson3688]

The KZbin creator itchyboots is passing through the Canadian Northwest. She recently found a similar building made by the native people there. In the Canadian building there were multiple entrances. The main ground door was the women's entrance. The was a log with a stairway carved into it coming out the roof vent for the men's entrance. The window ladders in this one may be be men's entrance. They may be distantly related cultures. The Canadian culture was nearly wiped out by smallpox from the early European settlers.

[@SwiftyTravels]

That reconstructed kiva is beautiful!! Ive never been to one that fancy! The roof was gorgeous!! I almost visited this place last year going to a track meet for my daughter in Farmington and we ran out of time. I will definitely have to make time for this!!!

[@CactusAtlas]

Oh you should definitely go! Between this kiva and the one you got to recently showed going down into, I feel like one would have a full kiva experience. 😄

[@tpseeker3367]

Ahhhhh Thank You Thank You & Thank You to your Knee's & Back. What an amazing place. Me 🤔 thinks me has more questions after watching this. Had no clue there was rooms above & outside of the communal living area. Think 🤔 the small doors might help keep the inside cooler or warmer depending on the seasons. Same as the thick walls. Another brain fart on small doors might be for protection. Harder for waring tribes to enter building's or to keep large animals out. Remember back then there were a lot more & type of heard's of animals. Butt I'm gonna stick with airflow for small doorways, especially after seeing that one shot of the doorways lined up.

[@CactusAtlas]

All very valid and plausible reasons to ponder! I can see a little of all those theories holding some truth to be honest. 👍

[@tpseeker3367]

Small doorways are worldwide 🤔 @@CactusAtlas .

[@JonStallings]

What a fascinating location. Great music choices

[@CactusAtlas]

Many thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@gstiles7]

Thanks for another great trip! I think I enjoyed the quality of this place vs. the quantity of Chaco.

[@CactusAtlas]

They are certainly two different kinds of experiences - quantity vs ... I don't want to say quality but the reconstructed kiva is hard to beat.

[@whatsboredom9133]

“Dating Aztec Ruins”. Thought it was a missed connections site. 🤣❤️

[@CactusAtlas]

🤣🤣 I love it.

[@lauraslanesvanlifetravels]

I like how you keep it interesting cuz honestly? This kinda stuff usually bores me unless I'm actually there but great job Glen on keeping it informative yet didn't put me to sleep lol. And yea, I was wondering...where they THAT short or what? I think bats are actually pretty cute...nothing to be afraid of...remind of flying little mice or something...and I think mice are cute...so there ya go lol

[@CactusAtlas]

I'm a bit of a bat fan myself, to be honest. I think they're kind of adorable for the most part. Glenn... he likes them, I think, but isn't as much of a fan as I am. 😅

[@lauraslanesvanlifetravels]

@@CactusAtlas 😆😁🥰

[@thomasmurray4717]

Reno 911 ?

[@scarletred1497]

Navajos & Utes have no connection to my Ancestral Puebloan people. Apache & Navajo are athabaskan people and they refer to my Ancestral Pueblo people as "anasazi" which translate into 'Ancient Enemy'. Navajos have no ancestral ties to any of this ancient sites.

[@CactusAtlas]

Museums don't always provide accurate info. 🤷‍♀️ Not the first time we've encountered this.

[@scarletred1497]

@@CactusAtlas unfortunately that misinformation is widespread but trying to inform many non-natives people about this. The descendants of Ancestral Puebloans are: (In New Mexico) Taos pueblo, Picuris pueblo, Santa Clara pueblo, Ohkay Owingeh pueblo, Nambe pueblo, Pojoaque pueblo, San Ildefonso pueblo, Tesuque pueblo, Cochiti pueblo, Jemez pueblo, Sandia pueblo, San Felipe pueblo, Santa Ana pueblo, Kewa pueblo, Zia pueblo, Isleta pueblo, Acoma pueblo, Laguna pueblo, Zuni pueblo. (In Arizona) Hopi pueblo or Hopi Tribe. (In Texas) Ysleta del Sur pueblo

[@Allen-yv3ue]

I wondered if someone was going to correct that, Thanks 👍

[@scarletred1497]

@@Allen-yv3ue welcome. 😊

[@jasperrabbit8132]

Disappointed that more mention during your video to support the fact that these ruins and many others attributed to the Aztec peoples is a MISNOMER, and actually created by the Pueblo people.

[@CactusAtlas]

We've talked about the Ancestral Puebloans many times over the span of our videos. Sadly, many areas have been misnamed due to incorrect thinking at the time.

[@lakefromeshippingcompany]

I'm interested in commercial and industrial design. I haven't seen joinery quite like that before. The nearest that comes to mind is traditional Japanese architecture. In my experience bats usually show good taste in where they hang around. 🏜️🦇

[@CactusAtlas]

We're not too knowledgeable about design or things of that nature but that's fascinating! And I think you might be right about the bats! 😄