In 1880, a 40 year old self-taught anthropologist-historian named Adolph F.A. Bandelier came to New Mexico Territory under the sponsorship ot the Archeological Institute of America with the ambitious goal of tracing the social organization, customs, and movements of southwestern and Mexican peoples. He traveled and studied throughout the region, tramping the canyons and mesas, speaking with many Native Americans, and delving into the archives for knowledge about the indigenous peoples.
Men from Cochitit Pueblo guided Bandelier to their ancestral homes in Frijoles Canyon in 1880. With its sheer cliffs, year-round stream, and distinctive cave-room architecture, the canyon captured his imagination.
Although now relatively unknown to the public, Bandelier's pioneering work laid the foundation for much of modern southwestern archeology. Edgar L. Hewett, a prominent southwestern archeologist who directed several excavations in Frijoles Canyon in the early 1900s, saw the need to preserve the ancestral Pueblo sites and was instrumental in establishing Bandelier National Monument in 1916. It is a fitting tribute to Bandelier's pioneering contributions that the monument was named for him.