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Hovenweep National Monument
The ruins of Hovenweep National Monument, in San Juan County,
Southeastern Utah, and in adjacent Colorado, protect some of the finest examples
of ancient stone architecture in the Southwest. The 785 acre monument,
consisting of five units, was created in 1923. The Monument Visitors center and campground are located at Little Ruins Canyon, as is the largest concentration of ancient ruins. Each unit has a photo gallery.
Little Ruins Canyon Photo Gallery
The
largest group of Hovenweep ruins are near the Interpretation Center.
Click images for larger views.
The large structure on Little Ruins Canyon is Hovenweep Castle.
Many of the canyon-rim buildings
are no longer standing. Fallen masonry
rubble is indicative of the number of the fallen structures.
By 1200 A.D. clusters of building were centered around the heads of canyons
in the Montezuma Valley area of southeast Utah. Nearly thirty
kivas were once scattered along the slopes of this canyon. Perhaps
as many as 500 people once lived in the canyon. By 1300 A.D. Hovenweep
was abandoned. Dr. J. W. Fewkes surveyed the ruins in 1917-1918
and recommended National monument status.
Hovenweep is
known for its towers. Hovenweep's Square Tower is located nearby
the spring
at the head of the canyon, below Hovenweep Castle. Square
Tower may have
been used to
guard the spring. Hundreds of people
depended on this spring 800 years ago.
 
Download the 1280 pixel deskpicture of
Hoveweep Castle with the raven.
Download the 2560 x 1440 deskpicture.
Some Hovenweep
structures are uniquely
built atop large boulders. Stronghold House
seems
to be an isolated tower. Stronghold House
is actually the remaining portion
of a pueblo
built on
the surrounding slopes. The area is strewn with rubble.
View down Little Ruins Canon with Sleeping Ute Mountain to the east.
This typical t-shaped Puebloan doorway is in Hovenweep Castle.
Hovenweep House in the foreground.
Hovenweep Castle in the background.
View across the canyon of Unit Type House (above) from Twin Towers
(below also).
Rim Rock House crowns the canyon rim above Round Tower (below).
Hovenweep Castle west wall.
The
two-story Holly Tower structure was built atop a boulder.
Download the 2560 x 1440 deskpicture.
External Links
HOVENWEEP NATIONAL MONUMENT. The
official home page of Hovenweep National Monument maintained by the National
Park Service. Learn About the Ancestral Puebloans. Crow
Canyon Archaeological Center's experiential education programs actively
engage students in real archaeological research and expose them to the
historical and cultural perspectives of the native peoples.
Natural Bridges National Monument
is located 80 miles west of Hovenweep between Blanding and Lake Powell.
Canyonlands
and Arches National Parks are located
about two hours northwest of the monument.
Prehistoric
Villages, Castles, and Towers of Southwestern Colorado by
J. WALTER FEWKES, 1919 |
