Bandelier National Monument

Visiting historic sites has always been a passion. If there are such areas near my vacation destinations, I make it a point to seek them out and pay a visit. I call myself an old soul living in present times. 

While visiting New Mexico, the Bandelier National Monument was one such. 

Arriving there on a cold November morning, these cliffs with arid vegetation did not quite give an idea of what to expect.

After crossing a wooden log bridge, and walking a few hundred yards, what waited ahead was a spectacular sight!

A huge cauldron lined by bricks with some arrangements at the center greeted visitors. It was enough to get me hooked. It is believed that this is Ancestral Puebloans aka Anasazi territory, and they inhabited the region between 1150- 1600 AD. 

Closeup of a circular arrangement.

Another view of the big cauldron/well. 

Another smaller stone lined dugout. It is a large area of such built up structures just adjacent to the mountain face, where the dwellings are located. 

As you make your way up to get to the cliffs, you encounter these well marked rectangular 'rooms' arranged in a circular pattern. Known as Tyuonyi ruins, it is an archaeological site, and once stood 1-3 stories tall. It is fascinating to see this precisely laid out design.

From a vantage point as one climbs higher to get to the living quarters, a look back gives a good perspective of the scale of things.

What you are walking towards is this face of the mountain. Volcanic ash consolidated to form porous tuff, along with shale, sandstone, and limestone from different eras gave the Puebloans a variety of materials to work with. 

Stones and wood were used to build 'homes' in the mountain, and the rock itself was carved out to make cave like shelters. 

The dwelling from the inside. Neat workmanship. 

One of the many areas in the face of the mountain that were used for shelter. Soot on the roof suggests that fires were lit in there. 

Another view of the inside of a 'cave'. 

Big ladders are placed at the doors to the homes. You have to climb up and get in. The ladder was then probably pulled up into the house. This might have served a dual purpose, to hide from enemies and limit their access to the home, and hide from predators too. 

I got inside and sat at the window looking down at the 'street' as some of the people who lived here might have done hundreds of years ago. 

Another look at down below from one of the 'windows'. 

Some more dwellings at ground level. Some neat arrangements of rocks, probably a garden?

Petroglyphs are found on the rockface in some parts. 

Some more artwork by the Pueblo people.

It is truly incredible to visit and know that people lived and walked around here all those years ago. There seems to be a systematic plan they followed as they built this community. 

Closeup of the art preserved at the site. A very southwestern pattern, and I wonder if studies have been done on deciphering these symbols found here. 

Another look at the face of the ridge. 

Dramatic geological features here!

After being thoroughly intrigued by walking through the monument and soaking it all in, it was time to leave. 

On the drive back to Santa Fe, near White Rock, one sees San Ildefonso Pueblo pottery on exhibition by the side of the road. These huge replicas of traditional pottery were part of a project. 

They are eye catching and stand out yet blend with the landscape. More about this can be read here.