The Tusayan Ruin site, located in the Grand Canyon, once served as the village of the Ansazi people. The tribe settled in the Grand Canyon during 1185BCE. Before the Anasazi, various types of nomadic Indians lived in the area and left behind evidence of their presence.

In 1930, Harold S. Gladwin, an American archeologists, and his group excavated the site. They named the site Tusayan; although Spanish in origin, the meaning of the name remains a mystery. Archeologists did not attempt to reconstruct the ruins because they wanted to keep the site preserved. Several portions of the site remain unexcavated.

The museum contains artifacts, art, and personal belongs of the Anasazi people. The ruins demonstrate how the Anasazi people lived in the Grand Canyon. Some of the artifacts suggest that the Anasazi did more than survive. They had time to focus their energies on art, decoration, and the development of their own culture.

The ruins consist of small u-shaped pueblos that once served as shelter for the Anasazi. Despite the dry and arid environment, the Indians relied on summer rain to sustain their crops and managed to survive in the harsh environment. Incredibly, they spent most of their time outside.

Archeologists have not determined why they Anasazi settled in the Grand Canyon or why they remained in the area for only twenty years. The villagers vanished and what happened to them remains a mystery.