The Bureau of Land Management’s Anasazi Heritage Center is full of mysteries from the past, and now the clues are bare to be seen by all.
The center houses collections representing 12,000 years of human history in the Four Corners. Most of it usually stored in the depths of the museum basement, and like most museums, there is more out of sight than on display at any time. But now, every Thursday, the public can take a behind-the-scenes tour of the artifacts included in the museum’s curated collection.
The Anasazi Heritage Center is one of only three federal repositories for archaeological materials managed by the BLM. Collections include artifacts from ancestral Puebloan sites that were excavated before construction of McPhee Reservoir and other indigenous material from the Four Corners.
In addition to seeing portions of collections not on display, the public will learn about the research projects supported by the collections, understand how they reflect the cultural landscape of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and learn about care and preservation.
If you go
The Anasazi Heritage Center offers weekly “Behind-the-Scenes” tours at 2 p.m. Thursdays through October. Participants should reserve a place in advance by calling 882-5600. The tours are open to the public and are included with the $3 cost of admission to the Anasazi Heritage Center. Federal recreation pass holders and people under age 18 always enjoy free admission to the museum. For safety and security reasons, tours are limited to adults and upper-age children.
The Anasazi Heritage Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week through October. For more information, visit www.co.blm.gov/ahc.
