Aztec Ruins National Monument

{{Infobox protected area

| name = Aztec Ruins National Monument

| iucn_category = III

| photo = Aztec Ruins National Monument by RO.JPG

| photo_alt =

| map = New Mexico#USA

| map_alt =

| location = San Juan County, New Mexico, U.S.

| nearest_city = Aztec

| coordinates = {{coord|36.8358370|-107.9981235|region:US-NM|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| coords_ref = {{cite gnis |id=885961 |name=Aztec Ruins National Monument | access-date=March 18, 2012}}

| area_acre = 318

| area_ref = {{NPS area |year=2011 |accessdate=March 18, 2012}}

| created = {{Start date|1923|01|24}}

| visitation_num = 52,756

| visitation_year = 2017

| visitation_ref = {{NPS visitation |accessdate=2018-04-10}}

| governing_body = National Park Service

| website = [https://www.nps.gov/azru/index.htm Aztec Ruins National Monument]

| embedded1 = {{designation list | embed = yes

| designation1 = WHS

| designation1_partof = Chaco Culture National Historical Park

| designation2 = NRHP

| designation2_type = U.S. historic district

| designation2_date = October 18, 1966

| designation2_number = [https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/66000484 66000484]{{NRISref|version=2010a}}

| designation3 = New Mexico

| designation3_date = May 21, 1971

| designation3_number = [http://www.nmhistoricpreservation.org/assets/files/registers/2012%20Report_%20Section%203_%20Arranged%20by%20Number.pdf 55]}}

}}

The Aztec Ruins National Monument in northwestern New Mexico, United States, consists of preserved structures constructed by the Pueblo Indians. The national monument lies on the western bank of the Animas River in Aztec, New Mexico, about {{convert|12|mi}} northeast of Farmington. Additional Puebloan structures can be found in Salmon Ruins and Heritage Park, {{convert|9.5|mi}} south. Archaeological evidence puts the construction of the ruins in the 12th and 13th centuries. The Puebloan-built ruins were dubbed the "Aztec Ruins" by 19th century American settlers who misattributed their construction to the Aztecs.{{cite web | title=National Park Service, Aztec Ruins, Frequently Asked Questions| url=https://www.nps.gov/azru/faqs.htm | access-date=November 18, 2019}}

The site was declared "Aztec Ruin National Monument" on January 24, 1923. "Ruin" was changed to "Ruins" after a boundary change, on July 2, 1928. As a historical property of the National Park Service, the monument was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

(UNESCO) listed the Chaco Culture as a World Heritage Site on December 8, 1987. That listing specifically included the Aztec Ruins.{{cite web | url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/353 | title=World Heritage List: Chaco Culture | publisher=United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization | access-date=December 31, 2017}}

The monument is on the Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway, one of New Mexico's Scenic Byways.[http://www.newmexico.org/trail-of-the-ancients/ Trail of the Ancients.] {{webarchive | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821002106/http://www.newmexico.org/trail-of-the-ancients/ | date=August 21, 2014}} New Mexico Tourism Department. Retrieved August 14, 2014.

The property was part of a 160-acre (65 ha) homestead owned by H.D. Abrams, who supported the preservation of the ruins. The H.D. Abrams House in Aztec is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.{{cite web|title=National Register of Historic Places|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=18eaa6d8-0b0d-42fc-a6db-827703c16d1b|website=NPS.gov|access-date=10 April 2018}}

Climate

The climate of Aztec Ruins National Monument is a typical semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk).

{{Weather box

|single line = yes

|width = auto

|collapsed = Y

|location= Aztec Ruins National Monument (1991–2020 normals,{{efn|Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1895–present)

|Jan record high F = 69

|Feb record high F = 78

|Mar record high F = 86

|Apr record high F = 89

|May record high F = 98

|Jun record high F = 105

|Jul record high F = 106

|Aug record high F = 105

|Sep record high F = 101

|Oct record high F = 92

|Nov record high F = 77

|Dec record high F = 69

|year record high F = 106

|Jan avg record high F = 56.3

|Feb avg record high F = 62.7

|Mar avg record high F = 73.3

|Apr avg record high F = 80.7

|May avg record high F = 89.2

|Jun avg record high F = 96.8

|Jul avg record high F = 99.1

|Aug avg record high F = 95.8

|Sep avg record high F = 90.7

|Oct avg record high F = 81.8

|Nov avg record high F = 68.7

|Dec avg record high F = 57.2

|year avg record high F = 99.5

|Jan high F = 46.0

|Feb high F = 52.5

|Mar high F = 62.8

|Apr high F = 70.6

|May high F = 79.8

|Jun high F = 90.3

|Jul high F = 93.9

|Aug high F = 91.2

|Sep high F = 84.2

|Oct high F = 71.7

|Nov high F = 57.7

|Dec high F = 46.4

|year high F = 70.6

|Jan mean F = 31.6

|Feb mean F = 37.0

|Mar mean F = 44.9

|Apr mean F = 51.7

|May mean F = 60.4

|Jun mean F = 70.0

|Jul mean F = 76.1

|Aug mean F = 74.0

|Sep mean F = 66.3

|Oct mean F = 53.7

|Nov mean F = 41.5

|Dec mean F = 32.1

|year mean F = 53.3

|Jan low F = 17.1

|Feb low F = 21.5

|Mar low F = 27.0

|Apr low F = 32.7

|May low F = 41.0

|Jun low F = 49.7

|Jul low F = 58.2

|Aug low F = 56.9

|Sep low F = 48.5

|Oct low F = 35.7

|Nov low F = 25.3

|Dec low F = 17.8

|year low F = 35.9

|Jan avg record low F = 2.8

|Feb avg record low F = 8.1

|Mar avg record low F = 14.1

|Apr avg record low F = 19.9

|May avg record low F = 29.7

|Jun avg record low F = 38.2

|Jul avg record low F = 48.6

|Aug avg record low F = 49.5

|Sep avg record low F = 35.1

|Oct avg record low F = 21.6

|Nov avg record low F = 11.7

|Dec avg record low F = 3.2

|year avg record low F = -0.8

|Jan record low F = -26

|Feb record low F = -27

|Mar record low F = -3

|Apr record low F = 2

|May record low F = 12

|Jun record low F = 24

|Jul record low F = 39

|Aug record low F = 36

|Sep record low F = 22

|Oct record low F = 6

|Nov record low F = -7

|Dec record low F = -24

|year record low F = -27

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 0.90

|Feb precipitation inch = 0.75

|Mar precipitation inch = 0.77

|Apr precipitation inch = 0.69

|May precipitation inch = 0.71

|Jun precipitation inch = 0.28

|Jul precipitation inch = 0.96

|Aug precipitation inch = 1.32

|Sep precipitation inch = 1.13

|Oct precipitation inch = 0.94

|Nov precipitation inch = 0.94

|Dec precipitation inch = 0.67

|year precipitation inch = 10.06

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 inch

|Jan precipitation days = 5.6

|Feb precipitation days = 5.1

|Mar precipitation days = 4.4

|Apr precipitation days = 3.7

|May precipitation days = 3.8

|Jun precipitation days = 2.1

|Jul precipitation days = 5.1

|Aug precipitation days = 7.0

|Sep precipitation days = 5.7

|Oct precipitation days = 4.7

|Nov precipitation days = 4.2

|Dec precipitation days = 5.1

|year precipitation days = 56.5

|Jan snow inch = 4.5

|Feb snow inch = 2.3

|Mar snow inch = 0.5

|Apr snow inch = 0.2

|May snow inch = 0.0

|Jun snow inch = 0.0

|Jul snow inch = 0.0

|Aug snow inch = 0.0

|Sep snow inch = 0.0

|Oct snow inch = 0.3

|Nov snow inch = 0.9

|Dec snow inch = 2.2

|year snow inch = 10.9

|unit snow days = 0.1 inch

|Jan snow days = 2.3

|Feb snow days = 1.7

|Mar snow days = 0.5

|Apr snow days = 0.2

|May snow days = 0.0

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.2

|Nov snow days = 0.7

|Dec snow days = 1.7

|year snow days = 7.3

|source 1= NOAA{{Cite web

|title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00290692&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL

|access-date = July 15, 2023

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230715075044/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00290692&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL

|archive-date = 2023-07-15

|publisher = National Weather Service}}{{Cite web

|title = NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data

|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=abq

|access-date = July 15, 2023

|publisher = National Weather Service}}

}}

= Notes =

== Gallery ==

{{Gallery

| title =

| align = center

| footer =

| style =

| state =

| height =

| width =

| captionstyle =

| File:Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico, US (12).jpg

| The restored Great Kiva at Aztec Ruins

| alt1=

| File:Aztec Ruins National Monument NPS site map.jpg

| NPS Map

| alt2=

}}

{{wide image|Aztec Ruins October 2022 panorama.jpg|900px|alt=A color panorama of a large sandstone ruin|Aztec West, with reconstructed great kiva (right)}}

References

External links

"The National Parks: Index 2001–2003". Washington, D. C., United States Department of the Interior
[https://www.nps.gov/azru/index.htm National Park Service website]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070625090928/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/amsw/ American Southwest, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary]
[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/353 UNESCO World Heritage site]
{{librivox book | title=Aztec Ruins National Monument | author=Corbett}}
{{commons category-inline|Aztec Ruins National Monument}}