The Forgotten Side of Bandelier – Archeology of the Tsankawi Ruins at Bandelier National Monument

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Ryan’s first non-fiction, non-musical book is available now from Amazon.com in Paperback and Kindle formats. International buyers (non-USA) please search for the title on your appropriate local Amazon site.  

The Forgotten Side of Bandelier details the geology, geography, prehistory, history, preservation, and legacy of the Tsankawi village ruins. Located 12 miles from the main section of Bandelier National Monument in a detached enclave near Los Alamos, Tsankawi sits on top of a small mesa with 360 degree views of the Jemez and Sangre de Cristo mountains. It is often overlooked and has very few dedicated resources outside of academic papers and Park Service internal reports. Most books on Bandelier or the larger Pajarito Plateau relegate Tsankawi to a foot note, picture caption, or brief couple of paragraphs, despite its large masonry pueblo, numerous cave dwellings, iconic network of deeply worn footpaths, and extensive collection of petroglyphs. Home to indigenous New Mexicans for several hundred years, Tsankawi and the other villages of the Pajarito Plateau fill in the temporal and cultural gap between the great Chaco Canyon culture that ended in the 12th century and the Rio Grande Pueblos that persist today. The Forgotten Side of Bandelier compiles most of the known information about this understudied site and connects it to the context of the greater region, giving it the dedicated treatment it deserves as an important cultural site and a part of the National Park System.

Read more at the Los Alamos Reporter: https://losalamosreporter.com/2019/11/15/local-author-ryan-bloom-publishes-book-on-the-tsankawi-ruins/