Pueblo ruins, Hovenweep National Monument, Utah

© Alan Majchrowicz/Getty Image

Celebrating America's Native heritage. Native American Heritage Month

Today marks the start of Native American Heritage Month. Throughout November, we honor the history, traditions, stories, and languages of Native Peoples. The Indigenous Peoples of North America have played a significant role in shaping our country, including developing the food we eat and the medicines that heal us. November is also a time to reflect on the issues that Native Peoples face, including civil and voting rights, land access, and education.

An important part of Native American heritage is the legacy that Indigenous Peoples have left on the landscape. One such place is Hovenweep National Monument on the Utah-Colorado border. Ancestral Pueblo people built the structures seen in today's image between 1200 and 1300 CE. All across Hovenweep are dwellings and circular and square towers. Although the purpose of these towers remains uncertain, they could have been used for defense, observing the stars, storing grain, or a combination of all of these. Here, the enduring legacy of America's Indigenous Peoples can still be felt.