A National monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of national importance such as a war or the country's founding. The term may also refer to a specific monument status, such as a National Heritage Site, which most national monuments are by reason of their cultural importance rather than age. The National monument aims to represent the nation, and serve as a focus for national identity.

A series of structures or areas deemed to be of national importance and therefore afforded protection by the state are part of a country's cultural heritage. These national heritage sites are often called something different per country and are listed by national conservation societies. For example in the Netherlands, Rijksmonuments (which literally means "state monuments") are listed by the society Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, which itself is sponsored by Dutch Ministry of Education and Culture.

Examples include:

• National Monument, Edinburgh
• National Monument (Indonesia)
• National Monument (Ireland)
• National Monument, Islamabad
• National Monument (Malaysia)
• National Monument (Nigeria) (Largest Palace in Africa)
• National Monuments of Singapore
• Monumento nacional (Spain)
• National Monument (United States)
• National Monument (Amsterdam)
• Jatiyo Smriti Soudho, Bangladesh
• Monuments of Portugal
• National Monuments Record, England

See also[link]

• National heritage sites, South Africa
• National icon
• National Memorial

The recent Las Conchas Fire caused significant damage to monument resources. Some parts of this article have been edited to reflect this. Reader are encourage to visit the National Park Service website for authoritative information.

Bandelier National Monument
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Reconstructed kiva at Alcove House
Location	Sandoval, Los Alamos and Santa Fe counties, New Mexico, United States
Nearest city	Los Alamos, New Mexico
Coordinates	35°46′44″N 106°19′16″W / 35.77889°N 106.32111°W / 35.77889; -106.32111Coordinates: 35°46′44″N 106°19′16″W / 35.77889°N 106.32111°W / 35.77889; -106.32111
Area	33,677 acres (13,629 ha)[1]
Created	February 11, 1916
Visitors	193,914 (in 2011)[2]
Governing body	National Park Service
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Designated:	October 15, 1966[3]
Reference #:	66000042

Bandelier National Monument is a 33,677-acre (13,629 ha) National Monument preserving the homes of the Ancestral Pueblo People. It is named after Swiss anthropologist Adolph Bandelier, who researched the cultures of the area. Bandelier was designated a National Monument on February 11, 1916. The National Park Service co-operates with surrounding pueblos, other federal agencies and state agencies to manage the park. The monument received 193,914 visitors in 2011.^[2]

Geography and geology[link]

In October 1976, roughly seventy percent of the monument, 23,267 acres (9,416 ha), became part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.^[4] The park's elevations range from about 5,000 feet (1,500 m) at the Rio Grande to over 10,200 feet (3,100 m) at the summit of Cerro Grande.^[5] The Valles Caldera National Preserve adjoins the monument on the north and west, extending into the Jemez Mountains.

Much of the area was covered with volcanic ash (the Bandelier tuff) from an eruption of the Valles Caldera volcano 1.14 million years ago. The tuff overlies shales and sandstones deposited during the Permian period and limestone of Pennsylvanian age. The volcanic outflow varied in hardness; the firmer materials would be used by the Ancestral Pueblo People as bricks, while the softer material was carved into homes.^[6]

Recent fires[link]

Several serious forest fires have plagued the monument in the latter part of the 20th century, including in the Cerro Grande Fire of 2000 and the Las Conchas Fire of 2011. The Cerro Grande Fire originated as a controlled burn for fire control but spread out of control owing to high winds, eventually burning over 40,000 acres (16,000 ha) of forest and destroying 250 homes in Los Alamos. Controlled burns were re-conducted in 2006.^[7]

The 156,000-acre (63,000 ha) Las Conchas Fire began on June 26, 2011 just west of the park. It was largest wildfire in New Mexico history and burned over sixty percent of monument land.^[8] The fire burned along Frijoles canyon but was stopped before Alcove house and the visitors center. Deforestation of upper canyons and soil vitrification lead to massive flash flood events.^[9] The fire and flooding had a devastating impact on area's habitat and cultural resources.

History[link]

Human presence in the area has been dated to over 10,000 years before present. Permanent settlements by ancestors of the Puebloan peoples have been dated to 1150 BCE; these settlers had moved closer to the Rio Grande by 1550. The distribution of basalt and obsidian artifacts from the area, along with other traded goods, rock markings, and construction techniques, indicate that its inhabitants were part of a regional trade network that included what is now Mexico.^[10] Spanish settlers arrived in the 18th century. The Pueblo Jose Montoya brought Adolph Bandelier to visit the area in 1880; Bandelier, looking over the cliff dwellings, announced "It is the grandest thing I ever saw."^[11] President Woodrow Wilson signed the legislation creating the monument in 1916, and infrastructure, including a lodge, was built during the 1920s and 1930s. The monument was closed to the public for several years during World War II, since the lodge was being used to house personnel working on the Manhattan Project.^[12]

The structures at the monument built during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps constitute the largest assembly of CCC-built structures in a National Park area that has not been altered by new structures in the district. This group of 31 buildings illustrates the guiding principles of National Park Service Rustic architecture.

Monument description[link]

The main attraction of the monument for the casual visitor is Frijoles Canyon, containing a number of ancestral pueblo homes, kivas (ceremonial structures), rock paintings and petroglyphs. Some of the dwellings were rock structures built on the canyon floor; others were "cavates" produced by voids in the volcanic tuff of the canyon wall and carved out further by humans. A 1.2-mile (1.6 km), predominantly paved, "Main Loop Trail" from the visitor center affords access to these features. A trail extending beyond this loop leads to Alcove House (formerly called Ceremonial Cave, and still so identified on some maps), a shelter cave produced by erosion of the soft rock and containing a small, reconstructed kiva that hikers may enter via ladder.

Detail of natural cavities and architectural carving into the soft tuff.

Ancient pueblo sites[link]

One site of archaeological interest in the canyon is Tyuonyi (Que-weh-nee) pueblo and nearby building sites such as Long House. Tyuonyi is a circular pueblo site that once stood 1-3 stories tall. Long House is adjacent to Tyounyi, built along and supported by the walls of the canyon. A reconstructed Talus House is also found along the Main Loop Trail.

These sites date from the Pueblo III Era (1150 to 1350) to the Pueblo IV Era (1350 to 1600). The age of the Tyuonyi construction has been fairly well established by the tree-ring method of dating, so widely and successfully used by archeologists in the Southwest. Ceiling-beam fragments recovered from various rooms give dates between 1383 and 1466. This general period seems to have been a time of much building in Frijoles Canyon; a score of tree-ring dates from Rainbow House ruin, which is down the canyon a half mile, fall in the early and middle 15th century. Perhaps the last construction anywhere in Frijoles Canyon occurred close to 1500, with a peak of population reached near that time or shortly thereafter.

The century before Tyuonyi's construction is thought to be characterized by intense change and migration in the Ancestral Puebloan culture. The period of highest population density in Frijoles Canyon corresponds to a period contemporaneous with a wide-scale migration of Ancestral Puebloans from the Four Corners area, which was experiencing a deep drought, environmental stress, and social unrest in the Pueblo III period. It is thought that some Ancestral Puebloan groups relocated into the Rio Grande valley, southeast of their former territories, founding Tyuonyi and nearby sites. The pueblo was abandoned by 1600, and the inhabitants relocated to pueblos near the Rio Grande river such as Cohiti and San Ildefonso, which are still occupied.

Other, primitive trails enter the backcountry, which contains additional smaller archaeological sites, canyon/mesa country, and some transient waterfalls. Hikes to many of these areas are feasible and range in length from short (<1 hour) excursions to multi-day backpacks (permit from Visitor Center required for overnight trips). Unfortunately, some of the backcountry sites have been submerged, damaged, or rendered inaccessible by Cochiti Lake, a reservoir on the Rio Grande created to reduce seasonal flooding that threatened communities and agricultural areas downstream.

A detached portion of the monument called the Tsankawi unit is near the town of Los Alamos and offers the day hiker a chance to see excavated sites and petroglyphs . Also at the Tsankawi unit are the remains of the home and school for indigenous people established by Baroness Vera von Blumenthal and her lover Rose Dougan (or Dugan).

In the upper elevations of the monument, Nordic skiing is possible on a small network of trails reachable from New Mexico Highway 4. However, not every winter produces snowfall sufficient to allow good skiing.

Wildlife at Bandelier[link]

Prior to the Las Conchas Fire Wildlife was locally abundant, and deer and Abert's squirrels were frequently encountered in Frijoles Canyon. Black bear and mountain lions inhabited the monument but were rarely encountered, even by the backcountry hiker. A substantial herd of elk were present (and represented a significant driving hazard) during the winter months, as snowpack forced them down from their summer range in the Jemez Mountains. Notable among the smaller mammals of the monument are large numbers of bats that seasonally inhabit shelter caves in the canyon walls, sometimes including those of Frijoles Canyon near the loop trail, which is diverted as necessary to avoid the bat colonies. Wild turkeys, vultures, ravens, several species of birds of prey, and a number of hummingbird species are common. Rattlesnakes, tarantulas, and "horned toads" (actually a species of lizard) are occasionally seen along the trails.

Bandelier Museum[link]

The visitor center at Bandelier National Monument features exhibits about the site's inhabitants, including Ancestral Pueblo pottery, tools and artifacts of daily life. There are two life-size dioramas that demonstrate Pueblo life in the past and today. Also featured are contemporary Pueblo pottery pieces, 14 pastel artworks by Works Progress Administration artist Helmut Naumer Sr, and wood furniture and tinwork pieces created by the Civilian Conservation Corps. There is a 10 minute introductory film about the monument.

Trails[link]

The National Park service has noted several designated trails, advising visitors to bring adequate safe water supplies on some trails.

The Main Loop Trail is 1.2 miles (1.9 km) long and loops through archeological areas, including the Big Kiva, Tyuonyi, Talus House, and Long House. It will take between 45 minutes and one hour. There are some optional ladders to allow access to the cavates (small human-carved alcoves).^[13]

Prior to the construction of the modern entrance road, the Frey Trail was the only access to the canyon. Originally, the parking lot was at the canyon rim. Today, it starts at the campground amphitheater. The trail is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) one way. There is an elevation change of 550 feet (170 m).^[14]

Distance in feet, vertical scale exaggerated 300%

The Alcove House trail beings at the west end of the Main Loop trail and extends 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to Alcove House. Previously called the Ceremonial Cave, the alcove passes 140 feet (43 m) above the floor of Frijoles Canyon. This pueblo was the home of around 25 Ancestral Pueblo people. Except in winter, the site is reached by 4 wooden ladders and stone stairs. Alcove House has a reconstructed kiva that offers views of viga holes and niches of several homes.^[15]

The Falls Trail starts at the east end of the Backpacker's Parking Lot. Over its 2.5 miles (4.0 km), it descends 700 feet (210 m), passing two waterfalls and ending at the Rio Grande River. In addition to the elevation change, its challenges include steep dropoffs at many places along the trail and a lack of bridges over Frijoles Creek.^[16]

The 2.5 miles (4.0 km) Frijolito Loop Trail trail is more strenuous. It starts in the Cottonwood Picnic Area and climbs out of Frijoles Canyon using a switchback path. Once on top of the mesa, it passes Frijolito Pueblo. It returns to the visitor center along the Long Trail.^[17]

Gallery[link]

• Bandelier
• 

  Main cliff on loop trail

• 

  Painted Cave, Ancestral Pueblo pictographs in the Bandelier backcountry

• 

  Cliff dwellings at Bandelier

• 

  Forested mesa tops are framed by the San Miguel Mountains in the Bandelier Wilderness

• 

  Basketmaking, by Pablita Velarde. Bandelier museum collection

• 

  Park headquarters

National Park Service Rustic style[link]

Bandelier has excellent examples of CCC-constructed National Park Service Rustic style of architecture, built while the areas was managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the 1930s. The Bandelier CCC Historic District now encompasses these historic structures, which consist of the 'Frey Lodge', including the dining room, snack bar and kitchen (park headquarters), the guest cabins (employee housing), the gift shop (gift shop), and the park visitor center.^[18]

See also[link]

• Bandelier CCC Historic District

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bandelier National Monument

• National Park Service website.
• Bandelier National Monument Museum.
• Bandelier CCC Historic District. National Historic Landmarks.
• Friends of Bandelier.
• Discover Our Shared Heritage - American Southwest. National Register of Historic Places travel itinerary.
• Bandelier National Monument travel guide from Wikitravel

v t e    Pre-Columbian North America Archaeological cultures North American pre-Columbian chronology – Adena – Alachua – Ancient Pueblo (Anasazi) – Baytown – Belle Glade – Buttermilk Creek Complex – Caborn-Welborn – Calf Creek – Caloosahatchee – Clovis – Coles Creek – Deptford – Folsom – Fort Ancient – Fort Walton – Fremont – Glades – Glacial Kame – Hopewell (List of Hopewell sites) – Hohokam – Leon-Jefferson – Mississippian (List of Mississippian sites) – Mogollon – Monongahela – Old Cordilleran – Oneota – Paleo-Arctic – Paleo-Indians – Patayan – Plano – Plaquemine – Poverty Point – Prehistoric Southwest – Red Ocher – Santa Rosa-Swift Creek – St. Johns – Steed-Kisker – Tchefuncte – Tocobaga – Troyville Archaeological sites Angel Mounds – Bandelier National Monument – The Bluff Point Stoneworks – Cahokia – Chaco Canyon – Casa Grande – Coso Rock Art District – Eaker – Effigy Mounds National Monument – Etowah Indian Mounds – Eva – Folsom Site – Fort Ancient – Fort Center – Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument – Holly Bluff Site – Hopewell Culture National Historical Park – Kincaid Mounds – Kolomoki – Manitou Cliff Dwellings – Marksville – Meadowcroft Rockshelter – Mesa Verde – Moorehead Circle – Moundville – Mummy Cave – Nodena Site – Ocmulgee National Monument – Old Stone Fort – Parkin Park – Pinson Mounds – Portsmouth Earthworks – Poverty Point – Pueblo Bonito – Rock Eagle – Rock Hawk – Salmon Ruins – Serpent Mound – Spiro Mounds – SunWatch – Taos Pueblo – Toltec Mounds – Town Creek Indian Mound – Winterville Miscellaneous Ballgame – Black drink – Buhl woman – Calumet – Chunkey – Clovis point – Container Revolution – Eastern Agricultural Complex – Eden point – Effigy mound – Falcon dancer – Folsom point – Green Corn Ceremony – Horned Serpent – Kennewick man – Kiva – Metallurgy – Mi'kmaq hieroglyphic writing – Medicine wheel – Mound builders – N.A.G.P.R.A. – Norse colonization of the Americas – Piasa – Pueblo dwellings – Southeastern Ceremonial Complex – Three Sisters agriculture – Thunderbird – Underwater panther Related: Genetic history · Indigenous Portal of North America · Pre-Columbian era