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Bandelier National Monument

Hold on to what is good, even if it is a handful of earth.
— Pueblo Blessing
Peeking into the Past
Step back in time to a remote village and experience the Ancestral Pueblo way of life.
Encounter age-old dwellings, petroglyph engravings, and pictograph images at the rugged canyon of Bandelier National Monument. These ancient ruins patiently await your exploration.

While known for mesas, sheer-walled canyons, and several thousand ancestral Pueblo dwellings, this monument also has over 33,000 acres of designated wilderness.

Bandelier's human history extends back for over 11,000 years when nomadic hunter-gatherers followed migrating wildlife across the land. By 1150 AD Ancestral Pueblo people began to build more permanent settlements. Reminders of these pastimes are still evident in the park as are the strong ties of the modern Pueblo people. By 1550 the Ancestral Pueblo people had moved from their homes here to pueblos along the Rio Grande (Cochiti, San Felipe, San Ildefonso, Santa Clara, Santo Domingo).

The park was named for Adolph Bandelier, a 19th-century anthropologist. In 1916 legislation to create Bandelier National Monument was signed by President Woodrow Wilson.

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