#15 Bandelier NM

Bandelier National Monument is named after Adolph Bandelier, a anthropologist who is said to have first reported the dwellings here. The park is 40 miles west of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Most of the dwellings are located in Frijoles Canyon, a lush canyon set against the Jemez Mountains. The site is important to the Native history, as it was occupied for over 500 years and some of the other cultures such as those from Mesa Verde and Hovenweep may have migrated south to here. The dwelling was also populous, holding as many as 40 families at one point in time. I took the Frijoles Canyon Trail, which followed a cliff side path through the remnants of this society. It is not even as close to as well preserved as Mesa Verde, so understanding it's importance in history is important.

See the rest of my pictures here- http://www.eriksmith.com/sw03/bandelierNM.htm