The area surrounding ancient ruins was first called home to nomadic Paleo Indians as far back as 14,000 years ago. Gathering food and hunting game, they roamed the area for centuries. Around 900 A.D. these early peoples began to settle more permanently, adopting an agricultural existence. At that time, archeologists believe the soil was rich on the mesa tops due to more moderate temperatures and higher amounts of rainfall than is seen today.

At about the same time, the ancestral Ancient Puebloans (Anasazi) began to migrate from the Four Corners area to the Hovenweep region, bringing with them their advanced building skills. It was these Ancient Puebloans who built the the first pueblos and masonry towers at Hovenweep between the years 1200 and 1300 A.D. With the increasing population, the Paleo Indians soon began building larger pueblos around fortress-like towers at the heads of box canyons.

Successful at dry farming, the ancient peoples grew domesticated crops such as maize, beans and squash were grown in terraced fields. They also formed catch basins to hold water, built check dams to retain soil that would otherwise wash away, and diverted water to edible wild plants such as beeweed, ground cherry, sedges, milkweed, cattail and wolf berry.

The population grew steadily and by the 1200's, the Hovenweep area was home to over 2,500 people. However, by the end of the thirteenth century, the people of Hovenweep , as well as other nearby ancient cities, such as Mesa Verde and Kayenta, were completely abandoned. Several theories have been proposed as reasons for the Ancient Puebloan's departure, including drought, overpopulation, disease, and warfare. Though the reason is unclear, ancestral Puebloans throughout the area migrated south to the Rio Grande Valley in New Mexico and the Little Colorado River Basin in Arizona. Today's Pueblo, Zuni and Hopi people are descendants of this culture.

The Hovenweep National Monument, encompassing some 785 acres, provides a historic view of dozens of ancient ruins, including square and circular towers, cliff dwellings, kivas, and pueblos. The masonry style and architecture at Hovenweep is skillful, with careful attention given to detail, indicating that the inhabitants of Hovenweep were closely associated with groups living at Mesa Verde and other nearby sites.

Many theories have attempted to explain the use of the various structures at Hovenweep, most often the use of the numerous towers. Though there exact purpose is uncertain, archeologist theorize they could have been celestial observatories, defensive structures, storage facilities, civil buildings, homes or any combination of the above. While most of the towers are seemingly associated with kivas, their actual function remains a mystery.