Woods Canyon Pueblo

Woods Canyon Pueblo is an ancient Pueblo Indian site in southwestern Colorado. This large village of 50 kivas, 16 towers, hundreds of surface rooms, and several water-control features was occupied from about A.D. 1140 through the late 1200s, a span that more-or-less corresponds to the Pueblo III period. The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center conducted excavations at Woods Canyon Pueblo from 1994 through 1996.

Choose from the following publications available for Woods Canyon Pueblo:

Archaeological Site Report

Eleven chapters in The Archaeology of Woods Canyon Pueblo: A Canyon-Rim Village in Southwestern Colorado synthesize the archaeological data and provide analytic and interpretive summaries; descriptive details are available in the accompanying electronic database (below). Approximately 400 pages, 32 illustrations, 101 tables. Edited by Melissa J. Churchill, 2002.

Archaeological Database

The Woods Canyon 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 Woods Canyon Pueblo (above). Additional data for Woods Canyon Pueblo are available in the Multisite Research Database.

Educational Story

In Woods Canyon Pueblo: Life on the Edge, students investigate theories about why the ancestral Pueblo Indians chose to build their homes on the edge of a steep canyon more than 800 years ago. This online story is designed primarily for middle school students, but older students and adults will also find it informative. Life on the Edge includes interviews with archaeologists and contemporary American Indians. Study guides and lesson plans are available for teachers.