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Aztec Ruins National Monument protects the remains of an Ancestral Puebloan Great House in New Mexico. It’s included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing for Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
Introduction to Aztec Ruins National Monument
Aztec Ruins dates between the late 11th and late 13th centuries. 19th-century American settlers erroneously believed they were built by the Aztecs but the name stuck. The property was once part of a homestead owned by H.D. Abrams, who worked towards the preservation of the ruins.
The site became Aztec Ruin National Monument on January 24, 1923. “Ruin” was changed to “Ruins” after it expanded on July 2, 1928. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 18, 1966, and it became a World Heritage Site on December 8, 1987.
Visiting Aztec Ruins National Monument
Aztec Ruins National Monument is located about 12 miles from Farmington, New Mexico. There’s no fee to visit (as of October 2025) and it’s open daily throughout the year. A ½-mile self-guided trail winds through the site. You can pick up a trail guide at the visitor center. Check the official website for more info.
Overall, Aztec Ruins is a very impressive site and a good place to visit if you can’t make it to the remote Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
Visitor Center
The first place we visited was the visitor center, which was once the home of archaeologist Earl Morris (1889-1956). There are several artifacts on display as well as a short 15-minute film about the site.
Great Kiva
The self-guided walk begins at a reconstruction of a Great Kiva. The kiva was excavated by Earl Morris in 1921, and he reconstructed it 13 years later. It’s the oldest and largest reconstruction of a kiva.
The Great Kiva was used for ceremonies and as a community center. Walking inside of it lets you appreciate how large it was.
Aztec West
Next, the walk continues through the plaza past another kiva and alongside the ruins. You can begin to appreciate the architecture of the Great House and see some of the 400 rooms.
The walk continues into some of the rooms. If you look carefully, you can see original wooden beams used to support the roof as well as original mortar between the bricks.
After exiting the ruins, the trail continues to a circular structure called the Hubbard Tri-wall Site, which has been backfilled for better preservation. It then continues back alongside Aztec West where you can see more original logs.
Finally, the trail climbs up to the top of the ruins where you can get a panoramic view of the site.
