Aztec Ruins National Monument

On Saturday, October 3rd at 11:00am, Tewa/Hopi artist and educator, Ed Kabotie will present a study on Puebloan Continuance. Utilizing both scientific classification and traditional paradigms, Kabotie will present a multi media presentation including music, art and spoken word to describe cultural development in the southwest over the centuries.

The program will take place in the Aztec Ruins National Monument Visitor Center theater. No reservations are required and this is a free event.

We hope to see you there!

Image description: A man, Ed Kabotie, standing behind a microphone and playing a wooden flute. Photo courtesy Ed Kabotie.

Looking for something fun, educational and FREE to do on Tuesday October 6th? Check out the New Mexico Archives Bazaar! The bazaar will take place from 10:00am-2:00pm at the State Records Center and Archives / NM State Library in Santa Fe.

The theme of this year’s gathering is “New Mexico at the Crossroads: Archives and America’s 250th.”

Stop in and view archival objects and items from fourteen repositories across Northern New Mexico. Staff from Aztec Ruins and Chaco Culture National Historical Park will be staffing a table representing the archival collections from our two parks.

Please also join (and bring your lunch!) at 12:15 for a talk by Dr. Rick Hendricks focusing on the intersection of history and archives.

Check out the photos in this post for more information. We hope to see you there!



Image descriptions: 1) The logo for the Archives Bazaar 2026: New Mexico at the Crossroads: Archives and America's 250th. 2) Information on the Archives Bazaar.

Today we’re highlighting Aztec Ruins National Monument’s partner organizations who helped make possible this year's Indigenous Cultural Arts Festival on Saturday, September 12, 2026, through funding of the event.

The Chaco Culture Conservancy is the official philanthropic partner to Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Aztec Ruins National Monument. By supporting these national park sites, they aim to inspire people to support, connect with, and learn about the preservation of these irreplaceable cultural and natural landscapes. Check out their booth at the event from 10:00am - 4:00pm!

Since 1938 WNP has worked to connect new generations to parks in meaningful ways, all with one simple goal: to create advocates who want to preserve and protect these special places for everyone, for all time. WNP helps fund educational programs, ranger talks, cultural demonstrations, youth activities, community events, vital research, and park projects across more than 71 national parks and monuments. Check out their store in the Aztec Ruins Visitor Center from 9:00am-5:00pm every day and during the event!



Image descriptions: 1) The Chaco Culture Conservancy logo over an image of the Casa Rinconada great house at night. 2) The Western National Parks logo.

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Chaco Culture Conservancy for generously funding the recent tree pruning and removal project at Aztec Ruins National Monument. With their support, hazardous limbs were safely removed from the picnic area and parking lot, allowing us to host the indigenous cultural arts festival with confidence and care for our visitors. We are grateful for their commitment to preserving both the beauty and safety of this historic site and our cultural heritage!

Image descriptions: 1) A sawyer in a boom cuts the upper limbs of a dead cottonwood tree. 2) The hollow tree trunk on the ground cut into pieces. 3) A sign that says Tree Work Ahead in front of the boom in the visitor center parking lot. The sawyer is cutting high limbs. 4) A sawyer in the boom pruning branches on a cottonwood in the picnic area. 5) Workers removing a stump and large pieces of a tree trunk near the maintenance buildings. 6) A man operating a John Deere tractor with a front loader is loading branches into a flatbed truck. NPS Photos.

The 2026 Indigenous Cultural Arts Festival at Aztec Ruins is almost here!

We hope you'll join us tomorrow, Saturday, September 12, from 10am-4pm, for this year's Indigenous Cultural Arts Festival. The event will feature an Artist Market, the Acoma Family Dance Group, music by Ed Kabotie, and Storytelling by Eldrena Douma. Please join us to celebrate Indigenous culture and art in the Southwest.

See you there!



Image description: The schedule of events for the Indigenous Cultural Arts Festival.

Today we’d like welcome Ed Kabotie to the Indigenous Cultural Arts Festival taking place on Saturday, September 12, 2026.

Ed Kabotie will be performing at 11:30am on September 12 in the picnic area at Aztec Ruins.

Ed Kabotie is an artist, musician and educator of both Tewa and Hopi descent. As a visual artist, he follows in the footsteps of his Hopi father and grandfather. As a solo musician, Ed is a flautist, guitarist, and composer of multilingual compositions. He also heads up a reggae/rock band called Tha 'Yoties. Ed considers himself to be an "edu-tainer," combining visual art, music and spoken word to broaden people's understanding of the ancient and contemporary people of the Four Corners aka Colorado Plateau region.

Please join us at 11:30am on Saturday, September 12, 2026, in the picnic area, to hear live music performed by Ed Kabotie during the Indigenous Cultural Arts Festival!



Photo description: A man (Ed Kabotie) playing a wooden flute behind a stand microphone. Photo courtesy Ed Kabotie.

Today we’d like welcome the Acoma Family Dance Group to the Indigenous Cultural Arts Festival taking place on Saturday, September 12, 2026.

The Acoma Family Dance Group is a fourth generation dance group from the Pueblo of Acoma. They will be dancing at 10:30am and 3:00pm, beginning in the picnic area, and dancing to the plaza of the great house. Through their dancing, they will honor their heritage, connect generations new and old to each other and to their cultural traditions, and foster a deeper understanding of Acoma Pueblo culture and history.

Please join us at 10:30am and 3:00pm on September 12, 2026 in the picnic area to experience the Acoma Family Dance Group’s performance during the Indigenous Cultural Arts Festival!



Image description: Three young members of the Acoma Family Dance Group standing in a line, wearing their dance regalia. Photo courtesy Ezekiel Howeya.

https://www.usajobs.gov/job/854826100

Park Guide (Seasonal) Park Guides greet visitors to educate and inform them in our National Parks. Work can include providing information on natural, cultural, or historical resources. Likely entry on duty: March - July 2026. Open to the first 200 applicants....

Aztec Ruins in the snow is truly a sight to behold! ❄️

Though these photos were taken a few days ago, some of the snow still remains! We're thankful for this much needed blanket and hope for more soon.



Image descriptions: A variety of images showing different parts of the monument covered in snow including the park entrance sign, walls of the large sandstone great house, the picnic area, and inside a stone room with manos and metates. Photo credit: S Bomkamp/NPS

The greywacke strips in the west wall are a distinct part of the Great House here. Read more in the Chaco Culture Conservancy's post below!