Castle Rock Pueblo

Castle Rock Pueblo is the site of an ancient Pueblo Indian village in southwestern Colorado. It was built and occupied from the mid– to late A.D. 1250s until the early to mid-1280s, a time span that corresponds to the late Pueblo III period. The site includes the remains of at least 16 kivas, 40 surface rooms, nine possible towers, and a D-shaped enclosure. The location of the village—around the base and on top of a prominent sandstone butte—probably was chosen for its defensible qualities. The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center conducted excavations at the site from 1990 through 1994.

Choose from the following publications available for Castle Rock Pueblo:

Archaeological Site Report

Topics addressed in The Archaeology of Castle Rock Pueblo: A Thirteenth-Century Village in Southwestern Colorado include architecture, chronology, artifacts, subsistence, and the final days at the site. Also included is a Native American perspective on the archaeology of Castle Rock Pueblo. Interpretations in this volume are based on the descriptive information provided in the accompanying electronic database (below). Approximately 400 pages, 39 illustrations, 79 tables. Edited by Kristin A. Kuckelman, 2000.

Archaeological Database

The Castle Rock Pueblo Database is an interactive database containing maps, color photographs, and a wide variety of field and laboratory data that can be accessed by individual study unit. These data are the basis for the interpretations presented in The Archaeology of Castle Rock Pueblo (above). Additional data for Castle Rock Pueblo are available in the Multisite Research Database.

Educational Field Trip

Castle Rock Pueblo: A Trip Through Time, an educational field trip, allows readers to "visit" Castle Rock Pueblo during three different time periods: the late 1200s, when the village was occupied by Pueblo Indians; the late 1800s, when the site was first documented by U.S. government explorers; and the late 1900s, when Castle Rock became the subject of Crow Canyon's scientific investigation. Study guides and lesson plans are available for teachers.

Articles

Numerous articles including information about or featuring Castle Rock Pueblo have been published in a variety of books and journals. Many of these are listed in the Research Bibliography.