BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT

scenic wilderness and archaeological area of the Pajarito Plateau, in north-central New Mexico, U.S. It lies along the Rio Grande, 20 miles (32 km) west-northwest of Santa Fe. Established in 1916, it occupies an area of 51 square miles (132 square km) and was named for Adolph Bandelier, the Swiss-American archaeologist. The monument contains many cliff and open-pueblo ruins, notably Tyuonyi and Tsankawi, of pre-Columbian Indians (mostly 13th-century) in Frijoles Canyon. Kivas (ceremonial chambers), stone sculptures and man-made caves have also been unearthed.