We drove into Aztec today to see the pueblo ruins and on the way I hopped out and grabbed an overall picture of Durango down in the valley.
The cloud patterns are just breathtaking here and ever-changing.
Despite the name these ruins were NOT built by the Aztec of central Mexico. The Aztecs in fact lived centuries AFTER the rise and fall of this Ancestral Pueblo town.
By 1111, the people began collecting wood from distant sources to build the largest great house on the site. It consisted of about 400 interconnected rooms on three levels.
I’m a sucker for these ancient ruins. I can touch the walls and ‘feel’ the heartbeat of a people that lived here a thousand years ago.
In this particular place you can actually walk in the roofed in rooms and get a sense of the time. The rooms are small, dark and interconnected. These folks must have been really short…it’s a stoop to get through to the next room!
The round Kiva, is a ceremonial meeting place.