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Aztec, New Mexico

Kinteel
County Seat
Aztec Public Library
Aztec Public Library
Location within San Juan County and New Mexico
Location within San Juan County and New Mexico
Country United States
State New Mexico
County San Juan
Area
 • Total 17.15 sq mi (44.41 km2)
 • Land 17.06 sq mi (44.19 km2)
 • Water 0.09 sq mi (0.22 km2)
Elevation
5,820 ft (1,770 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 6,201
 • Density 363.44/sq mi (140.32/km2)
Time zone UTC−07:00 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−06:00 (MDT)
ZIP Code
87410
Area code 505
FIPS code 35-05780
GNIS ID 2409767
Website aztecnm.gov

Aztec is a city in New Mexico, United States. It is the main city, or county seat, of San Juan County, New Mexico. In 2022, about 6,126 people lived there. Aztec is also home to the famous Aztec Ruins National Monument.

Geography

Aztec covers a total area of about 13.1 square miles (34 km2). Most of this area, about 13.0 square miles (34 km2), is land. Only a small part, about 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2), is water.

Climate in Aztec

Aztec has a climate that is called cool semi-arid. This means it gets hot summers and cool winters. The temperature can change a lot between day and night.

Summer Weather

Summers in Aztec are usually hot in the afternoon. However, the mornings are pleasant, and the air is not very humid. On average, the temperature goes above 90 °F or 32 °C about 50 days a year. It rarely gets hotter than 100 °F or 38 °C.

Winter Weather

Mornings in Aztec can get chilly quite early in the fall. The time without frost usually lasts from May 10 to October 6. Winter afternoons are usually mild. The temperature stays below freezing only about two afternoons each year. However, it can drop to or below 0 °F or −18 °C on about two mornings each winter. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −27 °F or −33 °C in 1933. The hottest was 106 °F or 41 °C in 2021 and 2023.

Rain and Snow

Aztec does not get a lot of rain because of the mountains nearby. The driest time is usually from April to June. The wettest year was 1986, with 20.27 inches or 515 millimetres of rain. The driest year was 1917, with only 2.90 inches or 74 millimetres. Snowfall is also low, with an average of 10.9 inches or 0.28 metres per year. The most snow in one month was 26.9 inches or 68 centimetres in January 2024.

Climate data for Aztec, New Mexico (Aztec Ruins National Monument) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1895–1902 and 1919–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 69
(21)
78
(26)
86
(30)
89
(32)
98
(37)
105
(41)
106
(41)
105
(41)
101
(38)
92
(33)
77
(25)
69
(21)
106
(41)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 56.3
(13.5)
62.7
(17.1)
73.3
(22.9)
80.7
(27.1)
89.2
(31.8)
96.8
(36.0)
99.1
(37.3)
95.8
(35.4)
90.7
(32.6)
81.8
(27.7)
68.7
(20.4)
57.2
(14.0)
99.5
(37.5)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 46.0
(7.8)
52.5
(11.4)
62.8
(17.1)
70.6
(21.4)
79.8
(26.6)
90.3
(32.4)
93.9
(34.4)
91.2
(32.9)
84.2
(29.0)
71.7
(22.1)
57.7
(14.3)
46.4
(8.0)
70.6
(21.4)
Daily mean °F (°C) 31.6
(−0.2)
37.0
(2.8)
44.9
(7.2)
51.7
(10.9)
60.4
(15.8)
70.0
(21.1)
76.1
(24.5)
74.0
(23.3)
66.3
(19.1)
53.7
(12.1)
41.5
(5.3)
32.1
(0.1)
53.3
(11.8)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 17.1
(−8.3)
21.5
(−5.8)
27.0
(−2.8)
32.7
(0.4)
41.0
(5.0)
49.7
(9.8)
58.2
(14.6)
56.9
(13.8)
48.5
(9.2)
35.7
(2.1)
25.3
(−3.7)
17.8
(−7.9)
35.9
(2.2)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 2.8
(−16.2)
8.1
(−13.3)
14.1
(−9.9)
19.9
(−6.7)
29.7
(−1.3)
38.2
(3.4)
48.6
(9.2)
49.5
(9.7)
35.1
(1.7)
21.6
(−5.8)
11.7
(−11.3)
3.2
(−16.0)
−0.8
(−18.2)
Record low °F (°C) −26
(−32)
−27
(−33)
−3
(−19)
2
(−17)
12
(−11)
24
(−4)
39
(4)
36
(2)
22
(−6)
6
(−14)
−7
(−22)
−24
(−31)
−27
(−33)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.90
(23)
0.75
(19)
0.77
(20)
0.69
(18)
0.71
(18)
0.28
(7.1)
0.96
(24)
1.32
(34)
1.13
(29)
0.94
(24)
0.94
(24)
0.67
(17)
10.06
(256)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 4.5
(11)
2.3
(5.8)
0.5
(1.3)
0.2
(0.51)
0.1
(0.25)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.3
(0.76)
0.9
(2.3)
2.2
(5.6)
10.9
(28)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 inch) 5.6 5.1 4.4 3.7 3.8 2.1 5.1 7.0 5.7 4.7 4.2 5.1 56.5
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 inch) 2.3 1.7 0.5 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.7 1.7 7.3
Source: NOAA

Population of Aztec

Aztec is part of the larger Farmington, New Mexico area. The city's population has changed over the years.

Historical population
Census Pop.
1910 509
1920 489 −3.9%
1930 740 51.3%
1940 756 2.2%
1950 885 17.1%
1960 4,137 367.5%
1970 3,354 −18.9%
1980 5,512 64.3%
1990 5,479 −0.6%
2000 6,378 16.4%
2010 6,763 6.0%
2020 6,201 −8.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

Arts and Culture

The famous Aztec Ruins National Monument is located right in Aztec. These ruins are part of a bigger UNESCO World Heritage Site called the Chaco Culture. They show us what life was like for ancient people in this area.

Parks and Recreation

D&RGW 483 at Aztec NM June 23 1967
Denver and Rio Grande Western steam train at Aztec depot, 1967

In 2016, Aztec had 16 parks and special areas. These areas covered a total of 153.5 acres (62.1 ha). The city also had 15.6 km (9.7 mi) of walking trails for people to enjoy.

Education

The Aztec Municipal Schools system provides education for students in Aztec. It also serves the rural areas in the northeastern part of San Juan County.

City Services

Transportation

  • Airport: You can find general aviation services at the Aztec Municipal Airport.
  • Highways: Highway 516 and U.S. Highway 550 both pass through Aztec.

Utilities

  • Water: Aztec gets its water from rivers and ditches nearby, like the Animas River. The city has its own plant to treat the water.
  • Electricity: The Aztec Electric Department manages the city's electricity. They buy power from other companies and distribute it to homes and businesses.

Famous People from Aztec

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Aztec (Nuevo México) para niños

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