Early Civilizations

Best Camping in the Four Corners: Complete Guide for 2025

Many of the people who come to experience the dramatic beauty of the Four Corners region of the American Southwest will be camping in tents, vans, camping trailers, or large RVs. Finding the right place to camp in the Four Corners region can make all the difference in the quality of your experience.

Newspaper Rock: Reading the Ancient Stories

Newspaper Rock is a name applied to more than one piece of stone covered with petroglyphs in the Southwest, but the one found in southern Utah 50 miles south of Moab is absolutely stunning. Why? Utah’s Newspaper Rock showcases more than 650 individual pieces of rock art in a small area that’s easy to visit.

Mesa Verde National Park — Cliff Dwellings Unlock the Past

Mesa Verde National Park has some of the most notable and best-preserved ruins in North America with more than 4,700 archaeological sites. We tell you about the history of this park and tips for getting the most out of your visit.

Stories in Stone: A Short Sand Island Petroglyphs Getaway

The Sand Island Petroglyphs, situated just outside Bluff, Utah, offer a fascinating glimpse into the past. With hundreds of intricate rock carvings stretching across an impressive expanse of sandstone, this site provides a unique opportunity to connect with ancient history. Dating back over 2,500 years, the petroglyphs showcase the artistry of the Ancestral Puebloans, Ute, […]

Canyon de Chelly National Monument, 5,000 Years of History

Your tour Jeep sits at the mouth of Canyon de Chelly in Chinle, Arizona — on the western edge of the Four Corners. Spreading before you, like a theatre curtain opening on a magical set, are imposing red rock formations, lofty cottonwoods and willows, and quilted fields of crops, orchards, and pastures.

Aztec Ruins National Monument, Unearthing the Ancient Stories

Aztec Ruins National Monument New Mexico

The folks at Aztec Ruins National Monument near Farmington, New Mexico, would be the first to tell you that Chaco Canyon was not the only place Ancestral Puebloans developed large pueblos. The great houses in Aztec, 70 miles north of the Chaco Canyon pueblos, were built between 1100 and 1300 A.D. Despite the name, this pueblo was not built by the Aztecs; their empire in central Mexico would not come to fruition until the 15th century and they never expanded this far to the north.

So, why call abandoned pueblos in Northern New Mexico “Aztec”? Early settlers in the late 1800s heard tales of Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortez defeating the Aztecs in 1521 and used that name to identify their community in the Four Corners region.

Aztec pueblo followed the plan for Chaco Great HousesAztec abandoned around 1300 CEExplore the Reconstructed Great KivaVisiting Aztec Ruins National MonumentAztec Ruins Tours and TrailsEnjoy the Heritage GardenTake a walk in the garden