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Outstanding Features The canyon and mesa country north of the San Juan River contains a number of archeological sites where the ancestors of today's Pueblo Indians once lived. Today round, square, and D-shaped towers at the heads of canons are the most visible remains that mark the location of once thriving communities. 
Though these structures have seen no human inhabitants in more than
700 years, they are still impressive.
Since modern Americans have become acquainted with Hovenweep, all have wondered why these towers were built and what the communities were like that the inhabitants created. The archeological record provides many suggestions and tantalizing bits of information and are the basis on which today's theory are formed. Most dwellings have been constructed directly on the edge of a canyon, not a most practical location for safety and accessibility. Some structures have been positioned over isolated or irregular boulders.  Many
are associated with springs and seeps near the heads of the canyons.
These positions suggest that the inhabitants were protecting something,
if not themselves, then perhaps the water, always a valuable commodity
in an agricultural. society. Pollen studies show that much of the
forest cover had been removed, indicating perhaps depleted resources
and a growing population. Lack of resources may be one of the explanations
for their inexplicable departure in the late 1200s.
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