View of the excavated West Ruins at Aztec Ruins National Monument. Only a small part of the site has been uncovered and much remains hidden.
The Aztec Ruins National Monument is on the outskirts of the town of the same name in the north east corner of New Mexico USA. The name Aztec is a complete misnomer. The Aztecs never lived here. The ruins were built by the ancestors of the American Indian people who are still living in the South West today. Aztec got its name from the Spanish who commonly used the tern "Aztec" when naming ancient sites. The name stuck and was later popularised during the 1800s with the settlers. The ancient builders of the ruins are today generally called ancestral Puebloan people. Much of the site remains unexcavated. It is believed that the site was only occupied for about 200 years. It was abandoned before 1300 CE. It became a world heritage site 1n 1987.
Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Near Aztec, New Mexico, USA
Photo credit: © Brian Hartshorn / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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