Aztec Ruins National Monument

The Aztec Ruins National Monument preserves Ancestral Puebloan structures in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of New Mexico. This national monument is close to both the town of Aztec and the Animas River, and it is about 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Farmington, New Mexico. The Salmon Ruins and Heritage Park, which also has Puebloan structures, is about 9.5 miles (15.3 km) south of the monument. The Aztec ruins date from the 11th to the 13th centuries. American settlers in the 19th century named them the "Aztec ruins" based on their erroneous belief that the Aztec civilization built them.[citation needed]

The site was declared "Aztec Ruin National Monument" on January 24, 1923. After a boundary change, "Ruin" was changed to "Ruins" on July 2, 1928.

As a historical property of the National Park Service, the monument was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization listed the Chaco Culture as a World Heritage Site on December 8, 1987. That listing specifically included the Aztec ruins.

The monument is on the Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway, which is one of New Mexico's Scenic Byways.

The property was part of a 160-acre (65 ha) homestead owned by H.D. Abrams, who supported the ruins preservation. The H.D. Abrams House in Aztec is listed on the National Register of Historic...