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When you look up the sheer-walled canyon that marks the entrance to Bandelier
National Monument you immediately know that this is a special place-carved
hundreds of feet high on the rock walls are dramatic cliff dwellings. Standing
as testament to an ancient civilization that once ruled a swath of the Southwest,
these ruins are some of the most interesting and distinctive archeological
remnants to be found in North America.
Named for Adolph Bandelier, a 19th-century anthropologist, this national
monument is a bewitching combination of archeological, historic, and natural
features. Established in 1916, Bandelier covers nearly 50 square miles of
steep narrow canyons that flow from the 10,000 foot peaks of the Jemez Mountians
to the Rio Grande River. Part of one of the world's largest volcanic calderas,
it is home to wide variety of wildlife, including mountain lions, elk, black
bear and the protected Jemez Mountain Salamander. These critters roam among
the acres of pristine backcountry. But it is the spectacular 13th-century
Anasazi ruins that distinguish Bandelier as a unique experience.
Hundreds of ruins of Anasazi cliff houses and pueblo-style dwellings
lay scattered across the Pajarito Plateau of northern New Mexico. Within
Bandelier National Monument's 32,000 acres, 70 miles of trails provide
access to these ancient ruins, including the cliff dwellings and Tyuonyi
village of Frijoles Canyon.
Tsankawi, a separate section of the Monument 11 miles north of the main
entrance, protects an unexcavated ruin, cave dwellings and many petroglyphs.
Sight-seeing at the ruins and other trail hiking backpacking, bird watching,
camping and picnicking designated areas are all available.
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