Day Six

Today was to be a very full day of exploring. To start the day out we visited the Aztec ruins in New Mexico. The purpose of this visit was to see the larges reconstructed Kiva.

Although the Aztec occupied this area after those from Chaco Canyon disappeared they used many of the same ideas and concepts started by the earlier settlement.

The walls of this great Kiva were made up of alternating masonry and horizontal poles.

Which were then placed on top of these stone discs which were about 355 pounds each.

In the afternoon we drove over to Chaco Canyon. Chaco was the center of culture during this time. There were extensive road systems made. Roads that were engineered and planned, providing access between the various civilizations which promoted trade.

The first great house we visited was Pueblo Bonito.

Pueblo Bonito is the most investigated and visited site in Chaco Canyon. It is believed that this was a planned construction that occurred in stages between 850 and 1150 AD. These structures were made in the core-and-veneer style. The core were pieces of sandstone rocks laid in a mud mortar, while the veneer were carefully selected and shaped rocks used to finish both sides of the core.

This is one of only 7 known corner doors. They are believed to function as sun markers.

Pueblo del Arroyo is home to the only "tri-wall' structure at Chaco.

The "tri-wall" is a triple wall structure which archaeologist are unsure of its purpose and use.

Pueblo del Arroyo also offers one of the best views of the south gap. This is the place where the roads entered the canyon.

Casa Rinconada is home to the largest excavated great kiva in Chaco.

There are a total of 34 wall niches, 28 of them are uniform in size and evenly distributed along the north-south axis. The other 6 do not show any obvious patterns and are believed to be astronomical markers of some kind.