Cowboy Wash, Archaeological site and protected area in southwestern Colorado, US.
Cowboy Wash is a protected archaeological area in southwestern Colorado, made up of nine separate excavation sites spread along the slopes of Ute Mountain. The remains found here include pit house ruins and stone tool collections left by Ancestral Puebloan communities.
Communities of Ancestral Puebloans settled here around 1150 to 1175 AD, leaving behind the structures and objects that archaeologists later uncovered. Excavations carried out in the 1990s brought this chapter of Southwestern prehistory to light for the first time.
Cowboy Wash was excavated through a close partnership between archaeologists and Ute religious leaders, who helped guide how the site was studied and interpreted. Visitors today can see how that respectful approach shaped the way the ruins are presented.
Several trails link the nine sites together, making it easy to move from one area to another on foot. Spring and fall tend to offer more comfortable conditions for walking through the terrain.
Researchers analyzed ancient human waste found at the site using laboratory techniques and made an unexpected discovery. The results provided evidence that human tissue had been consumed here, making this one of the most debated finds in Southwestern prehistory research.
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