Aztec Ruins National Monument contains some of the most remarkably well-preserved ancestral Pueblo architecture in the Southwest. It is monumental in scale, both in its designed landscape as well as in its individual structures. This planned community is characterized by its symmetrical layout, its unique complex of architectural features that includes rare tri-walled structures, and its unusually well-preserved masonry and wood structures, artifacts, earthworks, and other remains from the late 1000s to 1300 A.D.. Original wooden roofs still cover dozens of rooms and have enabled Aztec Ruins to become the best tree-ring-dated site in the Southwest.

The high integrity and importance of the site were additionally recognized in 1987 when Aztec Ruins National Monument, along with Chaco Culture National Historical Park, were together designated a World Heritage Site.

A strong regional influence from A.D. 1050 to 1280, Aztec Ruins National Monument endures in the lives and traditions of today’s American Indians.

Time Period Represented: A.D. 1050 to 1280

Hours Open: Open daily, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, with the exception of closures on Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1; extended summer hours, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Visitor Fees: Entry fees are $5.00 per adult (ages 16 and over) and children, ages 15 and under are free. The park honors America the Beautiful Annual, Senior, and Access Passes along with the site-specific Aztec Ruins Annual Parks Pass.

Mobility-Impaired Assistance: The visitor center, restrooms, picnic tables, and much of the trail are wheelchair accessible. The antechamber looking down into the Great Kiva accommodates most wheelchairs, 29" wide or less. Visitors can also borrow a park wheelchair at the visitor center. An adobe.pdf accessibility map of trail areas is available: click "management documents" on the right, and then click the document titled "Aztec Ruins Accessibility Map."

Hearing-Impaired Assistance: A printed trail guide is available for the self-guided tour. The regularly presented video program plays in open-caption format. Headphones are available at the information desk for "assisted audio."

Sight-Impaired Assistance: A sculpture of West Ruin and replica artifacts are available for handling in the visitor center. Large print trail guides aid visitors with limited vision. Headphones are available at the information desk that provide "assisted descriptive" services for the regularly presented video program. 

Aztec Ruins welcomes pets on leashes in the picnic area adjacent to the parking lot. Pets are not permitted in the Visitor Center or on the trail through the archeological site. Please remember, temperatures can be high in closed vehicles, even when the outside temperature is not. Do not leave your pet for long periods of time in a locked vehicle.