Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village - Aztec, New Mexico - Collection of Historic Buildings

The Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village was established in 1974 to allow visitors to experience what pioneer life was like in the American West in the 19th century. The museum's exhibits and photographs are housed inside the historic Aztec City Hall and fire station buildings, while the village contains a one-room schoolhouse, an old caboose, and ten other pioneer buildings.

Aztec takes its name from thousand-year-old ruins discovered in the area. Native Americans Utes and Navajos settled along the Animas River, after the ancient Puebloan people migrated south. The town of Aztec was formed in 1887 to provide commercial services for Hispanic and Anglo settlers. Fully 78 of Aztec's buildings have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Visitors to the Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village can tour an oil field exhibit, an historic barbershop, an old jail, a bank, a blacksmith's shop, a church, an old post office, and more. The museum has an old telephone room, a room of Native American arts and crafts, a room for mining tools and mineral collections, and an agriculture display focusing on dairy equipment and early farming.

The Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village is located off U.S. Highway 550 just east of Farmington at 125 North Main Avenue, Aztec, New Mexico 87410. Operating hours are 10am to 4pm on Wednesday through Saturday; closed on Sunday through Tuesday and on national holidays. Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for students aged 12~17, and children aged 11 years and under are admitted for free.