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| Aztec Ruins National Monument is a preserve of a prehistoric community that evolved over time in the Animas River valley in northwestern New Mexico. The community shared many of the characteristics of the nearby Puebloan communities centered in Chaco Canyon (about 65 miles to the south) and the Mesa Verde area (about 50 miles to the north). Archeologists have determined that the large pueblo-style community flourished from about A.D. 1050 to 1150, with most of the masonry construction having occurred between about A.D. 1111 and 1115. By regional standards, the community was quite prosperous for many decades. |
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