Because Chaco is considered to be the center of the Hisatsinom culture, Aztec Ruins and Salmon Ruin are called outliers of that center.

Aztec Ruins is located at nearly a half-way point between Chaco, 65 miles to the south, and Mesa Verde, 40 miles northwest. Chaco Canyon had a main occupation from 1050 to 1150, and Mesa Verde was mainly occupied between 1200 and 1275.

Aztec was inhabited for about 200 years, with the first arrivals coming about 1088-1090, and the deepest excavations have found Chacoan pottery. According to tree-ring dating the West Ruin was built between 1111 and 1115 AD. This 450-room pueblo includes one of the few tri-wall kivas ever found. By the 13th century this pueblo may have equaled Chaco in size.

A severe drought began in 1130 that was to last 60 years, and by 1150 the Chacoan social and economic center was declining which impacted Aztec as well as Salmon Ruin. Though the region was mostly abandoned, some local peoples of the San Juan Valley lived at both sites until about 1185 and they used the structures as they found them.

Then people related to the Mesa Verdans took over in 1225, and

Some recent research relating to Aztec Ruins may be found in the first issue of the Four Corners Clamor

The Great Kiva was reconstructed by Earl Morris in the 1930's and is the largest fully reconstructed kiva in North America.

Aztec Ruins is 320 acres in size and is administered by the National Park Service, Department of Interior.

As each succeeding group moved in they depleted the resources of the area according to their preferences and moved on. A drought from 1276 to 1299 was the telling blow and the last inhabitants left in the 1300's.

By the banks of the Nile, across the river from Thebes, a three-tiered temple was found beneath hundreds of tons of sand tens of centuries after its construction. The temple is a reflection of the mortuary temple of Mentuhotep II, and was constructed alongside that eleventh-dynasty structure. However, the temple of Hatshepsut is far larger than that of Mentuhotep. The architect was Senmut, Hatshepsut's lover and a member of her court with more than 20 titles. Senmut designed the temple with rows of colonnades that reflect the vertical patterns displayed by the cliff backdrop. In this way the temple is a successful example of architectural harmony between man and nature. The temple is dedicated to Amon and Hathor, Hatshepsut's claimed parents, although there are chapels dedicated to other gods, like Anubis, the god of embalming. The sanctuary lies within the mountainside. Two ramps connect the three levels, and on either side of the lower incline were T-shaped papyrus pools. On the ground level were sphinxes and fragrant trees from Punt. The

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Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)