COME TO LIFE | Experience Colorado’s History & Cultural Heritage In the southwest corner of Colorado, begin your journey at Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center & Museum in Dolores to get the information you need for a visit to Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. This outdoor museum has more than 6,000 documented archaeological sites, some of which are from the 12th century. To the south in Towaoc is Ute Mountain Tribal Park, offering an in-depth tour experience in which Ute tribal members interpret tribal culture, pictographs, cliff dwellings and artifacts. (Note that you must be accompanied by a Ute guide to enter.) Next, travel to Mesa Verde National Park to see surface and cliff dwellings once inhabited by Ancestral Puebloans. East of Durango, stop at the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum in Ignacio, a stunning and symbolic building celebrating the living history of Colorado’s longest continuous residents with exhibitions, rare artifacts and recorded stories. Now press farther east toward Pagosa Springs to see Chimney Rock National Monument, a protected archaeological site and sacred place that continues to hold special significance for today’s Native American peoples. Take a guided walking tour to view architectural structures including pit houses, kivas and great houses. At the Ute Indian Museum in Montrose the past connects with contemporary Ute life and culture through dioramas, rotating exhibits, hands-on programs and events. End the tour in Delta at Fort Uncompahgre, a site where Ute Indians and trappers once traded. Learn more about these places at Colorado.com/ NativeAmericanHistory. LU ANNE TYRRELL. Ute Indian Museum Explore Native American Sites It’s impossible to fully understand Colorado’s origins without learning about and honoring the Native Americans who were the first inhabitants 52 1-800-COLORADO of this land. Follow this route to visit several sites showcasing Native American history and culture dating back thousands of years.
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2023: Page 52
