“The grandest thing I ever saw” – Adolph Bandelier, archaeologist
Nestled in Frijoles Canyon, which has been carved into the Pajarito Plateau, is an 800-year-old pueblo called Tyuonyi.
Tyuonyi (pronounced KYU-weh-nee, and no, that’s not a typo; it’s been three months, and my brain still struggles with seeing a T and having to make a Q sound) was built by the Ancestral Puebloans, who are the original inhabitants of this land. They built many villages – or pueblos – over the course of the hundreds of years they inhabited the region; Tyuonyi is one of the largest, and is the centerpiece of Bandelier National Monument.
(Ancestral Puebloans, by the way, are the ancestors of modern day Puebloans who still live throughout New Mexico. They are sometimes called the ‘Anasazi’ but this is a Navajo word meaning ‘enemy’ and is no longer considered appropriate. Click here for more information on the present-day Puebloans with historical ties to Bandelier.)
While the main attraction of Bandelier is the ruins, the geology of the region is interesting in its own right. The Pajarito Plateau is made of tuff, a soft, light-colored rock created from volcanic ash. About a million years ago, a nearby volcano erupted twice, burying the surrounding landscape in a layer of ash over 1000 feet (305 m) thick. This ash cooled, hardened, and compressed to form the plateau. Over the years, irregular erosion of the tuff has created the valleys, cliffs, and canyons visible at Bandelier today.
We began our day at the visitor center, which also houses a museum with information on the history – both human and geologic – of Bandelier.
After touring the museum, we set off on the 1.4 mile (2.3 km) Pueblo Loop Trail through the center of Tyuonyi and up to the edge of the cliffs.
Here, we could climb ladders into some manmade caves called cavates (pronounced CAVE-ates) and see the ruins of Long House, a dwelling built into the cliffside. Due to the softness of the rock, it was relatively simple to excavate small holes in a cliff face to insert crossbeams, allowing for construction of multi-story dwellings with roofs.
Usually, you can continue past the loop an additional mile to Alcove House which is, as the name suggests, a house built up in an alcove. The trail was closed during our visit for bridge and ladder repairs, though, so unfortunately we weren’t able to see it.
One of the dwellings on the Pueblo Loop Trail was inaccessible as well due to recent vandalism. I wish it didn’t have to be said, but clearly it does: please treat the ruins with care and respect. Stay on the trails/ladders, and don’t climb on, graffiti, or otherwise deface the pueblos, cavates, or rock art.
Since we weren’t able to visit Alcove House, we had a little extra time on our hands. A ranger in the visitor center recommended the 2.7 mile (4.3 km) hike to Frijoles Falls, which he assured us was flowing despite the fact that it was November in the desert. I’m glad we opted to do it; it was a nice hike. The waterfall wasn’t rushing by any means, but there was some water. Plus, the walk along the creek was nice.
Later that afternoon, back up on the rim of Frijoles Canyon, we hiked out to Tyuonyi Overlook. As you might guess from the name, this leads to a view of Tyuonyi from above. It was a little too far away to make out much detail, but it was a nice view of the canyon and surrounding terrain.
While this completes our one full day in Bandelier, we actually returned to small sections of the park on each of the following two days. One visit was to the Tsankawi section of the park, which is completely disconnected from the rest of Bandelier.
Tsankawi (pronounced SAN-kah-wee) protects an unexcavated village, as well as petroglyphs and cavates, all of which can be seen on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) loop trail through this section. Although there is less to see here than at Tyuonyi, I still enjoyed the hike, both for the views and the trail itself. Between the ladders, drop-offs, and narrow walkways, it was a lot of fun to hike!
Our final excursion in Bandelier was a hike to the summit of Cerro Grande. Cerro Grande is the highest point in Bandelier and is actually located right on the edge of the monument, on the border with Valles Caldera National Preserve. Valles Caldera is what remains of the volcano that erupted to create Bandelier, and will be the topic of my next post.
I’m going to wait and talk about this hike next week, too, since it’s more relevant to Valles Caldera than it is to Bandelier. In the meantime, here’s one of my favorite photos from the trail.
There is actually much more to do in Bandelier that what I’ve detailed here, but it all requires hiking many miles. Most of the monument is not accessible by road. We will hopefully be back someday to visit Alcove House (once the trail reopens) and explore the backcountry terrain of Bandelier.
But in the meantime, we really enjoyed our time here and appreciated the variety of attractions the monument has to offer.
The Important Stuff:
- Getting there: Bandelier is about 25 minutes south of Los Alamos off NM Highway 4. Note that to exit Los Alamos from this direction, you must cross through Los Alamos National Laboratories which requires an ID check upon entry. We were very confused when our GPS sent us this way, but it is in fact the only way through. Just stay on the main road and don’t take any photos on this short segment of the route (these were the instructions we received at the checkpoint).
- Fees and passes: $25/car for a 7-day pass; America the Beautiful passes are accepted.
- Where to stay: there is one campground in the monument and reservations are not accepted. Backcountry camping is allowed in certain locations with appropriate permits (free, more information here). We stayed at a hotel in Los Alamos.
- Hiking: there are so many trails in Bandelier, ranging from short, relatively flat walks to multi-day hiking loops. Here is more information on each trail.
- Other: please please please don’t touch, step on, draw on, or otherwise deface the ruins. If there is a ladder, you are allowed to climb it and step inside the cavate. Otherwise, please stay on the trails and do not enter the ruins.
Leave a Reply to alisendopfCancel reply