Located just south of Los Alamos, New Mexico and two hours north of Albuquerque, New Mexico, lay Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico

About 600 - 900 years ago, between the years of 1100 – 1500 AD, Bandelier thrived with life of the Ancestral Pueblo, an innovative and socially advanced society. Mainly inhabiting the area now known as Frijoles Canyon, the Pueblo utilized the entire area surrounding the canyon to harvest crops, for hunting and for dwellings. The Pueblo established a more permanent presence with the construction of an elaborate housing system. Inhabitants took advantage of the canyon wall’s natural ‘Swiss cheese’ façade, building houses which extended out from the canyon wall itself. These housing rows extended up the canyon wall and were multiple stories in height. Beautiful ruins of these structures exist today.

Seen here is The 'Talus House', a reconstructed Ancestral Pueblo dwelling. Often multiple stories in height, the dwellings used the natural caves in the canyon wall to extend the inside of the houses.