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| Contrary to the name of the park, these ruins had nothing to do with the Aztecs of central Mexico who, in fact, lived centuries after the rise and fall of the communities of the Anasazi. Early Anglo settlers thought the the ancient puebloan communities had been Aztecs, however, the dispute was settled by archeologists in the late 19th Century. The first Anglo visitor to record information about the site was a geologist, Dr. John S. Newberry, in 1859. When anthropologist, Lewis H. Morgan investigated the ruins in 1878 he noted that about a quarter of the masonry had already be carried away by area settlers to use as construction materials. Looting of archeological materials has always been a problem in the Southwest, as was true at Aztec until it first passed into private hands in 1889. In 1916 the ruin came under the protection of the American Museum of Natural History when systematic excavation, stabilization, and partial restoration began. The ruins were then declared a national monument in 1923. Much of the archeological investigations in the area were conducted in the 1930s, but much of the park's ruins were protected for future investigations. |
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