View source for Aztec Ruins National Monument

{{short description|US national monument in New Mexico}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2017}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Aztec Ruins National Monument
| iucn_category = III
| photo = Aztec Ruins National Monument by RO.JPG
| photo_alt = 
| map = New Mexico#USA 
| map_alt = 
| location = [[San Juan County, New Mexico]], U.S.
| nearest_city = [[Aztec, New Mexico|Aztec]]
| coordinates = {{coord|36.8358370|-107.9981235|region:US-NM|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coords_ref = <ref>{{cite gnis |id=885961 |name=Aztec Ruins National Monument | access-date=March 18, 2012}}</ref>
| area_acre = 318
| area_ref = <ref>{{NPS area |year=2011 |accessdate=March 18, 2012}}</ref>
| created = {{Start date|1923|01|24}}
| visitation_num = 52,756
| visitation_year = 2017
| visitation_ref = <ref name="visits">{{NPS visitation |accessdate=2018-04-10}}</ref>
| governing_body = [[National Park Service]]
| website = [https://www.nps.gov/azru/index.htm Aztec Ruins National Monument]
| embedded1 = {{designation list | embed = yes
  | designation1 = WHS
  | designation1_partof = [[Chaco Culture National Historical Park]]
  | designation2 = NRHP
  | designation2_type = [[U.S. historic district]]
  | designation2_date = October 18, 1966
  | designation2_number = [https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/66000484 66000484]<ref>{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
  | designation3 = New Mexico
  | designation3_date = May 21, 1971
  | designation3_number = [http://www.nmhistoricpreservation.org/assets/files/registers/2012%20Report_%20Section%203_%20Arranged%20by%20Number.pdf 55]}}
}}

The '''Aztec Ruins National Monument''' in northwestern [[New Mexico]], United States, consists of preserved structures constructed by the [[Ancestral Puebloan|Pueblo Indians]]. The [[National monument (United States)|national monument]] lies on the western bank of the [[Animas River]] in [[Aztec, New Mexico|Aztec]], New Mexico, about {{convert|12|mi}} northeast of [[Farmington, New Mexico|Farmington]]. Additional Puebloan structures can be found in [[Salmon Ruins and Heritage Park]], {{convert|9.5|mi}} south. Archaeological evidence puts the construction of the ruins in the 12th and 13th centuries. The Puebloan-built ruins were dubbed the "Aztec Ruins" by 19th century American settlers who misattributed their construction to the [[Aztecs]].<ref>{{cite web | title=National Park Service, Aztec Ruins, Frequently Asked Questions| url=https://www.nps.gov/azru/faqs.htm | access-date=November 18, 2019}}</ref>

The site was declared "Aztec Ruin National Monument" on January 24, 1923. "Ruin" was changed to "Ruins" after a boundary change, on July 2, 1928. As a historical property of the [[National Park Service]], the monument was administratively listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on October 15, 1966. The [[United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization]]
(UNESCO) listed the [[Chaco Culture National Historical Park|Chaco Culture]] as a [[World Heritage Site]] on December 8, 1987. That listing specifically included the Aztec Ruins.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/353 | title=World Heritage List: Chaco Culture | publisher=[[United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization]] | access-date=December 31, 2017}}</ref>

The monument is on the [[Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway (New Mexico)|Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway]], one of New Mexico's [[New Mexico Scenic Byways|Scenic Byways]].<ref>[http://www.newmexico.org/trail-of-the-ancients/ Trail of the Ancients.] {{webarchive | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821002106/http://www.newmexico.org/trail-of-the-ancients/ | date=August 21, 2014}} New Mexico Tourism Department. Retrieved August 14, 2014.</ref>

The property was part of a 160-acre (65 ha) homestead owned by H.D. Abrams, who supported the preservation of the ruins. The [[H.D. Abrams House]] in Aztec is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref>{{cite web|title=National Register of Historic Places|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=18eaa6d8-0b0d-42fc-a6db-827703c16d1b|website=NPS.gov|access-date=10 April 2018}}</ref>

== Climate ==
The climate of Aztec Ruins National Monument is a typical [[Semi-arid climate#Cold semi-arid climates|semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''BSk'').
{{Weather box
|single line = yes
|width = auto
|collapsed = Y
|location= Aztec Ruins National Monument (1991&ndash;2020 normals,{{efn|Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1895&ndash;present)
|Jan record high F = 69
|Feb record high F = 78
|Mar record high F = 86
|Apr record high F = 89
|May record high F = 98
|Jun record high F = 105
|Jul record high F = 106
|Aug record high F = 105
|Sep record high F = 101
|Oct record high F = 92
|Nov record high F = 77
|Dec record high F = 69
|year record high F = 106
|Jan avg record high F = 56.3
|Feb avg record high F = 62.7
|Mar avg record high F = 73.3
|Apr avg record high F = 80.7
|May avg record high F = 89.2
|Jun avg record high F = 96.8
|Jul avg record high F = 99.1
|Aug avg record high F = 95.8 
|Sep avg record high F = 90.7
|Oct avg record high F = 81.8
|Nov avg record high F = 68.7
|Dec avg record high F = 57.2
|year avg record high F = 99.5
|Jan high F = 46.0
|Feb high F = 52.5
|Mar high F = 62.8
|Apr high F = 70.6
|May high F = 79.8
|Jun high F = 90.3
|Jul high F = 93.9
|Aug high F = 91.2
|Sep high F = 84.2
|Oct high F = 71.7
|Nov high F = 57.7
|Dec high F = 46.4
|year high F = 70.6
|Jan mean F = 31.6
|Feb mean F = 37.0
|Mar mean F = 44.9
|Apr mean F = 51.7
|May mean F = 60.4
|Jun mean F = 70.0
|Jul mean F = 76.1
|Aug mean F = 74.0
|Sep mean F = 66.3
|Oct mean F = 53.7
|Nov mean F = 41.5
|Dec mean F = 32.1
|year mean F = 53.3
|Jan low F = 17.1
|Feb low F = 21.5
|Mar low F = 27.0
|Apr low F = 32.7
|May low F = 41.0
|Jun low F = 49.7
|Jul low F = 58.2
|Aug low F = 56.9
|Sep low F = 48.5
|Oct low F = 35.7
|Nov low F = 25.3
|Dec low F = 17.8
|year low F = 35.9
|Jan avg record low F = 2.8
|Feb avg record low F = 8.1
|Mar avg record low F = 14.1
|Apr avg record low F = 19.9
|May avg record low F = 29.7
|Jun avg record low F = 38.2
|Jul avg record low F = 48.6
|Aug avg record low F = 49.5
|Sep avg record low F = 35.1
|Oct avg record low F = 21.6
|Nov avg record low F = 11.7
|Dec avg record low F = 3.2
|year avg record low F = -0.8
|Jan record low F = -26
|Feb record low F = -27
|Mar record low F = -3
|Apr record low F = 2
|May record low F = 12
|Jun record low F = 24
|Jul record low F = 39
|Aug record low F = 36
|Sep record low F = 22
|Oct record low F = 6
|Nov record low F = -7
|Dec record low F = -24
|year record low F = -27
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 0.90
|Feb precipitation inch = 0.75
|Mar precipitation inch = 0.77
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.69
|May precipitation inch = 0.71
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.28
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.96
|Aug precipitation inch = 1.32
|Sep precipitation inch = 1.13
|Oct precipitation inch = 0.94
|Nov precipitation inch = 0.94
|Dec precipitation inch = 0.67
|year precipitation inch = 10.06
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 inch
|Jan precipitation days = 5.6
|Feb precipitation days = 5.1
|Mar precipitation days = 4.4
|Apr precipitation days = 3.7
|May precipitation days = 3.8
|Jun precipitation days = 2.1
|Jul precipitation days = 5.1
|Aug precipitation days = 7.0
|Sep precipitation days = 5.7
|Oct precipitation days = 4.7
|Nov precipitation days = 4.2
|Dec precipitation days = 5.1
|year precipitation days = 56.5
|Jan snow inch = 4.5
|Feb snow inch = 2.3
|Mar snow inch = 0.5
|Apr snow inch = 0.2
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.3
|Nov snow inch = 0.9
|Dec snow inch = 2.2
|year snow inch = 10.9
|unit snow days = 0.1 inch
|Jan snow days = 2.3
|Feb snow days = 1.7
|Mar snow days = 0.5
|Apr snow days = 0.2
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.2
|Nov snow days = 0.7
|Dec snow days = 1.7
|year snow days = 7.3
|source 1= [[NOAA]]<ref name="NCDC">{{Cite web 
|title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00290692&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|access-date = July 15, 2023
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230715075044/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00290692&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|archive-date = 2023-07-15
|publisher = National Weather Service}}</ref><ref name="NOWData">{{Cite web 
|title = NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data 
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=abq
|access-date = July 15, 2023
|publisher = National Weather Service}}</ref>
}}

=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}

== Gallery == 
{{Gallery
| title        = 
| align        = center
| footer       =
| style        =
| state        =
| height       =
| width        =
| captionstyle =
| File:Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico, US (12).jpg
 | The restored Great [[Kiva]] at Aztec Ruins
 | alt1=
| File:Aztec Ruins National Monument NPS site map.jpg
 | NPS Map
 | alt2=
}}
{{wide image|Aztec Ruins October 2022 panorama.jpg|900px|alt=A color panorama of a large sandstone ruin|Aztec West, with reconstructed great [[kiva]] (right)}}

==See also==
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in San Juan County, New Mexico]]
*[[List of National Monuments of the United States]]
*[[List of the oldest buildings in New Mexico]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* "The National Parks: Index 2001–2003". Washington, D. C., [[United States Department of the Interior]]
* [https://www.nps.gov/azru/index.htm National Park Service website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070625090928/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/amsw/ American Southwest, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary]
* [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/353 UNESCO World Heritage site]
* {{librivox book | title=Aztec Ruins National Monument | author=Corbett}}
* {{commons category-inline|Aztec Ruins National Monument}}

{{Portal bar|National Register of Historic Places}}
{{Protected areas of New Mexico}}
{{National Monuments of the United States}}
{{Pre-Columbian North America}}
{{Registered Historic Places}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:1923 establishments in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Ancestral Puebloans]]
[[Category:Archaeological museums in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Former populated places in New Mexico]]
[[Category:History of San Juan County, New Mexico]]
[[Category:Museums in San Juan County, New Mexico]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in San Juan County, New Mexico]]
[[Category:Native American history of New Mexico]]
[[Category:Native American museums in New Mexico]]
[[Category:National Park Service national monuments in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Open-air museums in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1923]]
[[Category:Protected areas of San Juan County, New Mexico]]
[[Category:Pueblo great houses]]
[[Category:Ruins on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in the United States]]
[[Category:Pueblos on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Populated places on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico]]