journal: The Aztecs had nothing to do with these structures – in fact, the builders of this settlement lived here centuries before the Aztec empire prospered. But when the ruins were unearthed in the mid 1800s, Anglo settlers in the region named the area “Aztec.” The buildings were in good condition when first discovered – walls 25 feet high in places, and many rooms undisturbed – but looting of artifacts, and stones (carried away for building material), continued for decades before the site became privately owned. The Great Kiva was restored in the 1930s, and when we went down inside this huge circular structure, we had an eerie sensation of timelessness, and spirituality, and the mysteries of these ancient Pueblans.