Bandelier National Monument (thing)

Named for the 19th-century anthropologist, Adolph Bandelier, this national monument provides the visitor with archaeological, historical and natural features. It was established in 1916 and covers 50 square miles of pristine backcountry, that includes steep narrow canyons that run from the Jemez Mountains to the Rio Grande river and are accompanied by the spectacular 13th-century Anasazi ruins. Dramatic cliff-dwellings have been carved out of the high rock walls, recalling an ancient civilization that once prospered in the American Southwest and remains some of the most distinctive archaeological remnants in North America.