| Bandelier National Monument |
July
16, 2002
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My favorite site in Albuquerque was the ruins of the ancient cliff dwellings located within Bandelier National Monument, named for the man who "discovered" the site in 1880. The ancestral Pueblo Anasazi people lived and thrived here for 400 years starting in about 1100 and raised several crops nourished by the permanent stream, El Rito de los Frijoles, until they apparently exhausted the natural resources. The grounds were quite beautiful with the massive cliffs sloping to gently flowing water, the air freshly scented by huge ponderosa pine trees so unlike what you think you'd ever see in New Mexico, unique wildlife and wildly beautiful birds. |
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The
cliff dwellings dotted the mountainsides and were beautiful architectural
feats.
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You
could actually climb the ladders into some of the caves and get
a feel for what it was like to survive in such primitive conditions.
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Me, John & Lois We had a great time climbing and walking the grounds and bird watching |
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Places
I've |
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National
Parks |
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Marvel
at the massive:
Chaco
Canyon
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