Ancient Puebloans Hand-Carved Homes, Petroglyphs & Steps Into These Volcanic Canyons

Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico

Raw wilderness meets ancient history in Bandelier’s canyons. This slice of New Mexico holds some of the best kept Pueblo ruins in America, with homes carved right into the rock faces.

Here are some of the most awe-inspiring things to see at Bandelier National Monument.

Tsankawi’s Ancient Foot Trails

The pathways at Tsankawi have endured centuries of travel. Now they’re worn down to 8-24 inches deep into the soft bedrock.

The 1.5-mile modern trail follows many original paths, featuring ladders, drop-offs, and narrow passages used by Ancestral Puebloans.

These distinct routes connected dwellings and agricultural areas throughout the settlement, creating a network that supported daily life.

The Talus Houses

Talus Houses combined natural cliff features with construction at the base. The three-story structures extended three to four rooms deep.

The rock used wasn’t easy to work with since it wouldn’t break into straight lines or right angles. Today you’ll see a 1920s reconstruction.

These homes existed at the same time as both cavates and pueblos, demonstrating how Ancestral Puebloans adapted their building styles.

The Long House

Long House stretches beside Tyuonyi along the canyon wall, with homes marked by rows of circular holes where pine beams once held roofs and floors.

Dating from 1350-1600, builders took advantage of natural bubbles in the volcanic rock, adding adobe brick to create extensive living spaces.

The canyon extensions both supported and protected the dwellings. A preserved pictograph sits under protective glass, discovered under plaster.

The Cavates Inside the Ancient Dwellings

Ancestral Puebloans carved cavates (pronounced “CAVE-ates”) directly into soft volcanic tuff in the canyon walls, removing thousands of cubic yards of rock.

Family tradition decided between cave dwellings and ground-level pueblos. Many cavates still show blackened ceilings from fires lit over 500 years ago.

Petroglyphs All Over Bandelier National Monument

Tsankawi’s petroglyphs appear on cliff walls and inside cave dwellings. The soft tuff stone featured people, animals, and geometric patterns.

Long House has zigzag designs thought to represent Awanyu, the plumed serpent deity, suggesting possible connections to Mesoamerican cultures.

The Alcove House

Alcove House perches 140 feet above Frijoles Canyon floor in a natural erosion hollow, once home to about 25 people.

You need to climb four wooden ladders and stone stairs to reach this lofty dwelling, including one ladder with nineteen rungs.

Inside, a reconstructed kiva and wall niches show how living spaces were arranged, especially the high position which meant better defenses.

The Big Kiva

Located along the Main Loop Trail, this partly rebuilt chamber measures 40 feet across and demonstrates the importance of sacred spaces to Pueblo society.

When in use, the kiva had a wood and earth roof with an entrance ladder dropping through a hole at the top and inside they held important ceremonies.

Tsankawi Village

Tsankawi Village sits in a separate section of the monument 12 miles from the main area, built and lived in during the 15th-16th centuries.

The village contained 275 ground-floor rooms in mostly two-story buildings, making it a significant community in the area.

A central plaza featured a clever rainwater collection system from rooftops, possibly left in the late 16th century due to drought.

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