Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico
April 23, 2010
Bandelier National Monument protects over 33,000 acres of rugged but beautiful canyon and mesa country as well as evidence of a human presence here going back over 11,000 years. Petroglyphs and dwellings carved into the soft rock cliffs are evidence of the early days of culture that still survies. The Ancestral Pueblo people lived here from 1150 to 1550 and built homes carved from the volcanic stone. After 400 years, the land could no longer support the people and they relocated to pueblos along the Rio Grande.
Our Accommodations - Juniper Campground
We stayed at a great campground on the grounds of Bandelier National Monument called the Juniper Campground. The location was convenient and set in a secluded wooded area making it ideal.
Bandelier National Monument
The ancient remains at Bandelier are very well preserved and presented. It used to be an ancient village where the pueblo people once occupied and built homes within the canyon walls (cliff dwellings) and a larger main village in the canyon floor.