Aztec Ruins New Mexico Townsite - Ghost town
Photos courtesy of Mike Sinnwell July 2007
No comments please as I consider old Indian Ruins a Ghost town. I have seen plenty of Indian ruins, even been in some Kivas were I could not take pictures. This was first time I was able to photograph the inside of a Kiva. Even if the Kiva is reconstructed it is an impressive site. We took over 500 photos at this site and spent three hours enjoying it uninterrupted. Not at all like going to Mesa Verde. I was explaining to a lady that I had seen the Aztec Ruins in New Mexico and she got all excited. She thought I meant the Aztec ruins created by the Incas. Early settlers to the area made the same mistake and thought it was built by the Incas and named the town site Aztec.
I must admit that this is my favorite Indian site. Well, it is at least up there with the Hopi First, Second and Third Mesa where Joan and I got a private tour. To bad I could not photograph or sketch anything there. Or Maybe Chaco canyon. Just too many to pick from.
One of my favorite features was the construction of doorways in the corner of rooms. This allowed the inhabitants the option of going freely between four rooms that had connecting walls in a corner. Can you find the picture with the doorway displayed? Had never seen that before.
A viewer writes - Sunday, January 15, 2012 -- WE visited this site at Christmas this year when we went to Colorado to visit our daughter and grandkids. I, like you, think this is the most beautiful ruins that I have ever seen. I took about 60 pictures and was amazed at every aspect of these ruins. The crazy thing in my pictures is that every picture I took of room #9 was blurry as if I was told our spirits are here. Amazing is all I can say. maryc1013@gmail.com
A viewer writes Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - The Aztec Ruins in NM, National Monument, I would love to send you some of my pictures in room # 9 & 10 very odd that they were distorted, the book says that at least a dozen persons were buried. It says the dead had been carefully prepared with shrouds of feathers or cotton cloth, some were wrapped in rush matting. Offering pottery, coiled baskets, sandals, sticks, beads, and other items accompanied them.
It says that Earl Morris found many burials within these rooms-in shallow pits beneath floors, in trash mounds and storage bins, and in rooms modified into burial chambers. Some rooms contained one individual, but others became a tomb of many.
Rocky Says - send the Pictures