Canyons of the Ancients is the name given to a desolate landscape in a remote area of the Four Corners, filled with ancient structures. An important area from an archaeological point, it comprises over 6,000 recorded ancient sites. Still unknown for most travelers, it also offers solitude in the high deserts of the US Southwest.
Though empty country now, the Canyons of the Ancients were inhabited or used for over 10,000 years, mostly by the Ancestral Puebloans, also known as Anasazi. Archaeologists estimate that counting everything, there are about 30,000 ancient sites in the area. These include remnants of villages, kivas, cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, agricultural fields, and other vestiges of ancient human occupation.
To learn about all of it, before visiting any of the sites, it’s a good idea to start with the Visitor Center and Museum. Which we meant to do, but didn’t, since we took a wrong turn. However, it worked out even better for us, since we drove to the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center by mistake.
1. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
Although we were looking for the Archaeological Center and museum, we wrongly assumed that the sign pointing to the Archaeological Center incorporated both the center and the museum. Since we didn’t know what to expect, we walked into the only open building. Although it looked like a museum, we found ourselves alone. But since it was open, no one and no gate stopped us, we set off to explore it.
Walking through the small exhibit, I read about the archaeological digs in the area and examined the exposed artifacts.
As we were about to leave, we met the Center’s Director.
She was very helpful, and even took us on a tour of the archaeological center, showing us classrooms where the students learn to sift through different layers of dirt for artifacts. Spending time with her in the Center I learned a lot about the archaeology of the area.
When we asked where they were storing the artifacts they found, she told us about the Canyons of the Ancients Museum and Visitor Center. That’s where we should start exploring the area, she added.
Still, we learned a lot from this encounter, much more than if we went straight to the museum. Before leaving, we walked the short trail surrounding the Center.
2. Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum
Now we felt we were on the right track, as we drove over to the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum. A helpful and talkative guide walked in with us and told us briefly about the exhibits, before letting us explore on our own.
This museum is one of the best I’ve seen that focuses on the archaeology of a place.
We started our tour with the exhibits showcasing and explaining artifacts from the oldest human occupation of the area.
Next, we had the opportunity to examine the interior of an ancient pit house. The replica is furnished like it would’ve been when people used these dwellings.
Moving on, the museum showcases newer artifacts and the history of explorers and archaeologists who discovered these artifacts and worked on understanding it.
The connection to the modern tribes, the Hopi among them, is highlighted in the next section, but the hands-on exhibits were the most exciting.
We examined ancient artifacts, pottery, stones, and plant samples through microscopes; tried out computer programs used by archaeologists; touched real artifacts excavated from the sites.
But for my daughter and me, the most exciting part was trying our hand at weaving on a Pueblo-style loom.
They have the loom set up, and instructions to follow. While we both managed to add a few strands to the tapestry on the loom, I realized that it was harder than it seemed.
Before leaving, we also wandered through a few other rooms, set up as art exhibits, showcasing work from contemporary artists working at or inspired by the Canyons of the Ancients.
A Brief History of the Area, as Learned from the Exhibits
After these two visits, I understood a lot more about the history of the area as before. Although most of the visible ruins date from the Great Pueblo era, between 1100-1300, people lived in these canyons much longer than that.
The Great Sage Plain, covering parts of Southwest Colorado and Southeast Utah, was the most densely populated area of the Ancestral Puebloan world between 500-1300 AD.
However, archaeologists found evidence of people living here much earlier, as far back as 6500 BC. The civilization here started with the Basketmakers, with two distinctive periods, one between 1500 BC and 500 AD, and between 500 – 750 AD. Most pueblos have evidence of at least the later when they started to built recognizable homes.
The ruins we visited later held evidence of the following times, called the Pueblo period, between 750 – 900 AD. Most pit houses date from the second phase of this period, between 900- 1150. They were becoming more elaborate until they peaked around 1300, when the Ancient Puebloans abandoned the area.
At least that’s what archaeologists used to think. However, in recent years, they started adding what they are learning from the descendants of these ancient people. Now they have a better understanding of the mystery of abandonment of the sites.
The Hopi are one of the twenty-four present-day tribes that trace their ancestry to the people of the Canyons of the Ancients. According to them, the settlements were all part of the migration pattern. They see these ancient villages as footsteps of their ancestors. They see them as stops on a centuries-old migration journey.
3. Escalante Pueblo
We were about to get in the car and leave when we realized that one of the ruins we wanted to visit, Escalante Pueblo, was on a hill above the Visitor Center.
On the Trail
Though steep, the half-mile-long trail is paved all the way and leads uphill through switchbacks, offering gorgeous views of the surrounding area. Since I have a hard time with the fast elevation gain, I stopped at every corner. Signs about the history or natural feature of the area offered an excuse for a short rest.
This is where I learned the legend of Sleeping Ute Mountain, along with its geological history. The mountain is either a sleeping warrior or a volcano that never fully erupted, depending on who is telling the story.
the trail ended on the top of the hill, where gorgeous views of the lake below and the surrounding landscape greeted me. No wonder the ancients built Escalante Pueblo on top of this hill.
Escalante Pueblo
The site is relatively small, but we recognized the Chaco influence. Dating from the 1100s, the site is one of the Northern Chacoan outliers.
Though we couldn’t enter the ruins, we had a perfect view of them from the trail that circled them from above. We walked
They had a hard life, no doubt about that. But they also had a great view of their surroundings, of their farmed fields on the bottom of the hill.
4. Dominguez Pueblo
The small, four-room structure right in front of the Visitor Center is easy to overlook. To be honest, it really is not much to it, but it’s there, and you might as well stop for half a minute before getting into the car. It was most likely home to one or maybe two families, at the bottom of the hill, right by the modern-day Visitor Center.
5. Lowry Pueblo
Another Chacoan outlier, Lowry Pueblo, a prevalent ruin in the Four Corners, is the largest site we visited in the Canyons of the Ancients. But to reach it, we drove through desolate areas, farmlands, and a stretch of gravel dirt road. Luckily, it was a short stretch and the road was in good shape. Every time we drive through the Four Corner region, we talk about needing a high-clearance vehicle. Maybe someday, when one of our cars gives up, breaks beyond repair.
In the meantime, we were breathing dust as we followed our map to Lowry Pueblo. Though not as spectacular as Hovenweep, the highlight of our weekend trip, it is still a nice size ruin. And we got to be alone in it.
It was a bit eerie when I found myself alone in the ancient structure. I let the rest of my family walk ahead and I followed at a slower pace. With no other visitors around, in an area far from modern civilization, I could contemplate the lives of those who built these structures.
The Big House in Lowry Pueblo
I walked towards the largest structure, partially covered by a sheet metal roof. Built on top of older pit houses, the structures still standing date from about 1060. The village building comprises about 40 rooms and eight kivas. Before entering it, I walked its perimeter.
When I found a small doorway on the side of the structure, I walked in, joining my husband who was inside.
We found ourselves in a maze of doorways, leading to one that had a gate stopping us.
Beyond the gate were the painted kivas Lowry Pueblo is famous for.
Painted Kivas
Though Lowry Pueblo is known for its four painted kivas, none of the designs are clearly visible any longer. All of the kiva murals featured design elements found on pottery and petroglyphs of the same era. We saw a mural fragment earlier ion display at the Canyons of the Ancients Museum.
Even with the murals gone, we noticed fragments of plaster on the lower walls of the kivas.
After exploring inside, we walked out into the sunlight.
The Great Kiva
Outside of the main building, we walked down to the Great Kiva, one of the largest in the area. Great kivas were used for community activities and important ceremonies. This was one of the early buildings of the village, remodeled often, and used continuously over generations.
The stone features on the bottom seem similar to the interior of the reconstructed Great Kiva at Aztec National Monument. Here, they were interpreted as symbols of summer people and winter people. Four platforms within supported a roof at one point.
Leaving Lowry Pueblo
We had a hard time leaving Lowry Pueblo. Sitting in the shade of the pinion trees, at a picnic table, we lingered, enjoying the late afternoon breeze in the high desert. Though we often seek out off-the-beaten-path destinations, unknown to the mainstream tourists and travelers, it is still rare that we find ourselves all alone at a site.
Reluctant to leave, we knew it was getting close to dinner time and we would still have a drive ahead of us to get back to Cortez. I know, another name that doesn’t fit. A town with the wrong name, Cortez is nice enough that we would consider living there… if they would only rename it.
Why Visit Canyons of the Ancients
You won’t find spectacular structures like those in Mesa Verde or Chaco in the Canyons of the Ancients. You won’t be able to access all the sites unless you have a high-clearance vehicle. But if you are intrigued by the Southwestern archaeology, if you want to learn more in-depth about it, or just want to explore sites you can be alone at, it is the perfect place to visit.
FAQ
What is Canyons of the Ancients?
A large, archaeologically important area, Canyons of the Ancient is a National Monument, preserving and protecting the largest concentration of archaeological sites in the US. It comprises thousands of excavated and unexcavated ruins of the Ancestral Puebloans (about 30,000 sites, with at least 6,355 recorded structures).
Where is Canyons of the Ancients?
You will find Canyons of the Ancients in the Four Corners area of the US, in the state of Colorado.
Where should I start my visit?
The Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum in Dolores should be your first stop. You’ll find answers to all your questions here, even to the ones you didn’t know you wanted to ask.
Are all the archaeological sites accessible by car?
Only a few sites are accessible without a high-clearance vehicle. The most spectacular of these, showcasing one of the largest kivas in the region, is Lowry Pueblo. Though it is off a gravel dirt road, even a low clearance car can make it comfortably.
What is a not-to-miss site in the Canyons of the Ancients?
Lowry Pueblo is the one not-to-miss, definitely visit sites, even if you don’t stop anywhere else in the Canyons of the Ancients. Besides being the largest and best-preserved site in this National Monument, it gives you the opportunity to walk into an ancient structure and look down into one of the largest kivas in the area.
Other archaeological sites in the vicinity
- Hovenweep National Monument is the closest site and worth a visit for its ruins inside a small canyon.
- Mesa Verde National Park is one of the most spectacular sites in the Four Corners area, and close to the Canyons of the Ancients. In fact, if you haven’t seen it, it should be first on your list. Considering the number of ruins the park comprises and its size, plan to spend at least one full day there, two if possible.
- Chaco Canyon is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Four Corners area; in fact, most of the other ruins were connected to it in one way or another. Definitely worth a drive, though it is far and you’d have to drive on a dirt road for a pretty long time. But if you are in the area, you should not miss it.
- Aztec Ruins National Monument, another Chacoan outlier, is also worth a visit.
