Aztec, New Mexico

[RGINN]

Camped at Navajo Reservoir on the Colorado side this week and wandered on down into New Mexico to check out the Aztec Ruins National Monuments. I was particularly lookin forward to this cause I recently gave in and bought that old person pass that will get me in to the federal places at half price. So I had that card in hand but admission to this place is free. Aztecs didn't live here, it was the 'ancestral Puebloans'. I never go in to kivas, but made an exception for this place. This great kiva is the Mormon Tabernacle of Kivas. It has been reconstructed, and they may have taken a few liberties, but wow. They do say 90% of the masonry at the site you see is original. And Maria made it very clear to anybody who would listen, that last pic is a mulcajete, not a metate, like they told us. Which actually is kind of an Aztec thing.

 

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[tamrock]

Looks like an interesting place. Should have told the other visitors that a mulcajete is Aztec for bird bath. I'll bet they would have believe ya and then they'd tell others what mulcajete means. Once I was trying to take a picture of a small bird on trail ridge road and a couple stopped and ask what I saw. I thought what the heck and told them I saw a mama bear and cub off at the edge of the pines in the distance. Then more folks stopped and ask what's out there and the couple that stopped just said there's a mother bear and cup that's supposed to be over at the edge of the pines. When I took off even more people were stopping to see what everyone was looking at, which I knew was nothing.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

I would love to visit that area!

 

[tamrock]

I would love to visit that area!

Then take a week or two professor. Get a round trip ticket to Denver rent a car and follow the map of places you've marked out on the map. Head SW towards the 4 corner's via Wolf Creek Pass, loop up into Moab and go north to Vernal and the Yampa river and take hwy 40 east to 36 at Grand lake which will lead you on trail ridge road through Rocky Mountain National Park and into the town of Estes Park. Then after all the wonderful things you saw such as geologic wonders, wildlife, ghost towns, dinosaur digs and ancient site are behind you head to I25 south at Ft. Collins and get off on the E470 tollway back to the airport drop off the rental and fly home to New England. You could do all that in a 7 day week, but a day or two more would be better.

 

[A2coins]

I would love that some day