Hovenweep National Monument

The Hovenweep National Monument, on the Utah-Colorado border, marks the site where Anasazi Indians erected six separate groups of extraordinary defense towers, cliff dwellings, and pueblos dating back to 1100 A.D. The 785-acre monument, whose name means 'deserted valley,' was established in 1923 to protect the well-preserved stone masonry ruins, which have been unoccupied for at least six centuries. The largest contains 11 different buildings, one of which is Hovenweep Castle, a structure with walls 20 feet high. Among the ruins are a variety of rectangular, circular, or D-shaped defense towers that are strategically placed.