Bandelier National Monument

Books on the monument and region are sold at the visitor center. A small, separate gift shop next to the visitor center offers the usual tourist paraphernalia t-shirts, mugs, etc. and sundries, including hiking supplies. More interesting, however, is its selection of artwork from nearby Indian pueblos. It is usually possible to find a small but diverse selection of jewelry and pottery from highly-regarded centers e.g. Cochiti and Santo Domingo Pueblos for jewelry, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso and Acoma Pueblos for pottery, and one can even stumble across a good Navajo rug -- somewhat ironically, as the Navajo were the ancestral enemies of the Puebloans who created the dwellings in Frijoles Canyon. Quality is variable; some pieces are "tourist trash," plain and simple, but the shopper with a discerning eye can often find high-quality if not museum-class work, sometimes at prices better than those for comparable pieces at galleries in Santa Fe. Be prepared for sticker shock; a 6-inch 15-cm diameter black-on-black pot from San Ildefonso Pueblo can easily go for $500 or more if it's by a first-rate potter. Still, the prices are fair, and you won't do better in the galleries.