El Quartelejo Ruins

El Quartelejo is the name given to the archeological remains of the northernmost Native American pueblo in Kansas. In 1664 a group of Puebloans left New Mexico and were later rounded up and brought back by the Spanish. After 1763 and the French retreat from the area, the pueblos was abandoned.

About El Quartelejo Ruins in brief

Summary El Quartelejo RuinsEl Quartelejo is the name given to the archeological remains of the northernmost Native American pueblo in Kansas. In 1664 a group of Puebloans left New Mexico and were later rounded up and brought back by the Spanish. After 1763 and the French retreat from the area, the pueblos was abandoned with only a mound and a few irrigation ditches remaining. Eventually, its walls decayed and the structure was buried by drifting soil.

In 1964 the ruins were designated a National Historic Landmark, and the area is now part of Lake Scott State Park. Since 2004, the National Park Service has listed the site as “at risk” because of ongoing weather-related deterioration to the ruins. The Spanish spelling is with a “C”: El Cuartelejo and the English spelling is “Q:jo.”