This UNESCO World Heritage Site is located in New Mexico. Arguably less famous than Mesa Verde, this is one of the nation’s most significant Ancestral Puebloan sites. Experts say it was once a major cultural center between 849 AD and 1251 AD. Be sure to explore the complexes known as Casa Chiquita, Pueblo Pintado, and Pueblo Bonito.
You need to travel deep inside the alcoves and caves of the lesser-known Bears Ears National Monument located in southeastern Utah to see these ancient ruins. This old Pueblo home was actually hand-carved into the rough-hewn red rock of the landscape. The site features ancient pictographs and petroglyphs and is thought to have been inhabited from about 900 to the 1290s.