Trail of the Ancients - Canyons of the Ancients National Monument - National Scenic Byways on Waymarking.com

Stop 2 of Day 2 on the Trail of the Ancients National Scenic Byway stops at the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.

There are over 6,000 individual Ancestral Puebloan archeological sites spread out among 164,000 acres in the canyons. There is evidence that show Paleo-indian habitation of this land over 10,000 years ago. Around 1500 BC, the area inhabitants became less nomadic, and around 750 BC, the Anasazi, the "ancient ones" began farming and residing in permanent dwellings. Soon, "cities" and commerce led to the area's success, and the inhabitants floursihed in number.

For reasons unknown, after 1300 AD, the area was abandoned. Many factors may have contributed to the exodus of these people: drought, war or even resource depletion.

What has been left are the stone structures scattered across the monument from the puebloan period. Sites listed as part of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument include Lowry Pueblo, the Painted Hand Pueblo, and the Sand Canyon Pueblo (which boasts 420 rooms, 90 kivas and 14 towers). The sites are in remote locations, and a four wheel drive vehicle is recommended to reach many of the sites.

My GPS location is by the Painted Hand Pueblo tower, for which the site bears it's name.

Program: America's Byways Website: [Web Link] Official Name: Trail of the Ancients

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