Ancestral Puebloan | Russ Bishop Photography

Interior doorways at Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Culture National Historic Park, New Mexico

Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico is the largest concentration of ancient pueblos in the southwest. At its center, Chaco Canyon was a major cultural center of the Anasazi or Ancient Pueblo People between AD 900 and 1150, and contains the most impressive ancient ruins north of Mexico.

Situated high on the Colorado Plateau at over 6,000 feet, the Anasazi were skilled masons and built fifteen major structures at Chaco. Called Great Houses, they included the impressive 650 room Pueblo Bonito (a world heritage site) using stone and timber brought in on a network of roads from up to 15 miles away. They also practiced astronomy and experts believe their buildings were aligned to capture the solar and lunar cycles. Many of them remained the largest buildings in North America until the 19th century.

No one knows exactly why this powerful culture suddenly disappeared in the late 12th century, but they left behind a lasting legacy in stone.

The Ancient Ones. Evening light on Square Tower House Ruins, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado — Evening light on Square Tower House, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

The Native American cliff dwellings of the southwest are the most spectacular ruins north of Mexico. The Ancestral Puebloan Indians (or “The Ancient Ones”) were the prehistoric pueblo culture that thrived in the Four Corners region of the United States between 900 and 1200 A.D. before their mysterious disappearance.

Many of their elaborate structures are well-preserved in national parks such as Mesa Verde in southwestern Colorado, Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, and Canyon de Chelly in Arizona. From three-story citadels perched precariously on canyon ledges like Square Tower House shown here, to the 500 room Great Houses of Chaco Canyon, these skilled masons left a legacy to rival the ruins of ancient Greece.

Once referred to as the Anasazi, Archaeologists and scholars still debate what caused their sudden demise toward the end of the 12th century. But the stone handiwork of the Ancestral Puebloans remains a fascinating testament to the vision and tenacity of these ancient pueblo people.