The National Park System, of which Aztec Ruins National Monument is a unit, is dedicated to conserving the scenic, scientific, and historic heritage of the United States for the benefit and enjoyment of its people.
Contents
Page [MAN IN THE SAN JUAN VALLEY] 1 [Early Hunters and Gatherers] 3 [The Basketmakers] 7 [The Pueblos] 11 [The Aztec Pueblo] 18 [EXPLORATIONS AND EXCAVATIONS] 35 [THE AZTEC RUINS TODAY] 51 [THE NATURAL SCENE] 61 [ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION] 64 [RELATED AREAS] 66 [SUGGESTED READINGS] 66
Frontispiece. A hunting scene of 10,000 years ago.
Man in the San Juan Valley
The San Juan River and its tributaries drain the region known as the Four Corners country—the area surrounding the point where New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona meet in a common boundary at right angles. Rising high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the San Juan flows southwestward to dip down into the northwestern corner of New Mexico; then it courses northwestward into Utah almost at the point of juncture of the four states. With many twists and curves, roaring through deep canyons and gulches, it proceeds generally westward to empty into the mighty Colorado River in the southeastern part of Utah.
The San Juan Basin is the major drainage basin of the Four Corners country. As such, its lower reaches formed a formidable barrier to travel by migrant primitive groups and to early white settlers as well. Its upper portions, however, especially its tributaries, were easier of access and supplied that most important element of all for life in the desert: water—water for drinking, water for irrigation.