The Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village

Take a tour through the past at the Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village. As you make your way into the Pioneer Room you will find old photographs of the 78 buildings that are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Other photos include pioneer family photos, school class pictures, early businesses, townspeople and scenes of Aztec from around the turn of the 20th century. You will also find crystal and glass dishes and Hummel figurines. You will see a collection of pioneer items including cameras, eyeglasses and early trade items. Presiding overall is the Great Horned Owl.

Down the hall is a room filled with telephone equipment, antique and late model phones. Originally, the cedar post with the attached insulator was used to carry the lines from Aztec to Cedar Hill, 14 miles north. The Telephone Pioneers of America set up this particular exhibit in the museum.

The Indian Room contains Indian artifacts and crafts. Beautiful Navajo rugs, silver jewelry, clay toys, cradleboards and woven items from Chimayo can be found here. You’ll will also find examples of prehistoric pottery left by the Anasazi or Ancestral Puebloan people.

During the early history of Aztec many were farmers or ranchers by trade. In the Agriculture Room, exhibits remind of us of a time long past. Many of the exhibits are from Alfred Utton’s Dairy. He delivered milk from house to house daily. Cream and milk were always in glass bottles. Also, there are butter churns, a cream separator, pasteurizing machine and wood crates to carry the milk bottles.

In the Atwood Annex at the Museum, you will find a Veterans Exhibit displaying items from the Civil War, Spanish American War, both World Wars, Vietnam and Desert Storm.In the Annex you will also find The Toys and Dolls display with toys from the late 1800s to the 1930s, and the Home Furnishings display with household items from the turn of the century through the 1920s.

The first test oil and gas wells were drilled in 1901. In 1921 Aztec was the first town in the state of New Mexico to use natural gas in homes and businesses. Outside at the "Oil Patch" Exhibit there is an old drilling rig called a Ft. Worth Spudder. In 1967 one like it was used in Project Gasbuggy, the first underground nuclear explosion used in oil and gas exploration.

The buildings in the Pioneer Village were moved from the surrounding area or built on site to resemble structures from the early part of the 20th century. One such building is the replica of a one room school house. The teacher would have had to teach grades one through eight in just one room. Although most small communities still did not have high schools in the late 1890s, the town of Aztec had what was called a "Normal School." It was simply a place where children could attend and obtain two additional years of education.

The Village Church was built in 1906 by the Cedar Hill community. The pews, pulpit, piano and hymnals are all original. The church can be rented for weddings and other special occasions.

Moving from the church to the village jail . . . Interestingly enough, prior to 1887 there was not a jail in Aztec. The structure that is currently part of the Pioneer Village was built in 1912.

There are many more exhibits at the Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village. It is nearly impossible to paint a word picture of the many exhibits that await you. It is important to learn about our past and see just how far we have come: some would perhaps prefer those days that seem so deceptively simple. In any case, the Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village will give you a greater appreciation of the Pioneer lifestyle.

Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village, 125 North Main Avenue, Aztec, NM, 87410. Phone, 505.334.9829. Hours: Memorial Day through Labor Day, Monday-Saturday 9 a.m to 4 p.m. After Labor Day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.