Montezuma Valley and Mesa Verde were once part of the Ancestral Pueblo homeland. Between 600 and 1280 CE, hundreds of villages and farming communities thrived on the mesas, plateaus, and canyons of this landscape. Archaeologists estimate that as many as 35,000 Ancestral Pueblo people lived in this region during the 1200s, compared with about 24,000 people in Montezuma Valley at the beginning of the 21st century. Ancestral Pueblo people lived throughout the Four Corners Region, and nearby community sites include Yucca House National Monument outside Cortez and Hovenweep National Monument in Utah. Canyons of the Ancients National Monument covers much of this landscape and contains the highest known archaeological site density in the United States, preserving extensive evidence of a rich, multi-dimensional native culture.