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Free Traveling Guides » States » New Mexico » Greater New Mexico Pueblo Bonito
Pueblo Bonito, situated in the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northern New Mexico, is the most studied and the largest Great House in the Park. It was constructed by the ancestral Pueblo people, who resided in it between AD 828 and 1126. This Great House is one of the largest Chacoan complexes that occupy the central region of the Canyon. One of the most stunning features of Pueblo bonito is a series of petroglyphs, depicting six-toed feet, in the surrounding cliff area. The Solar and Lunar cycles are featured in these petroglyphs as well as in the architecture of Pueblo Bonito itself.
Pueblo Bonito, meaning ‘beautiful village’, is a four-storey high structure that encompasses an area of nearly 2 acres (0.008 sq-km). It comprises of more than 650 rooms and has huge masonry walls up to 3 ft (0.9 m) thick. This massive structure is made using the unique core-and-veneer architecture and is almost the size of the Roman Colosseum. The most impressive feature of Pueblo Bonito is the Great Kiva that stands on either side of the giant wall, which precisely runs north-south, dividing the central plaza into two equal sections. There are at least 30 other kivas in the large central courtyard.
Pueblo Bonito was first explored and examined by U. S. army Lt. James H. Simpson and his guide, Carravahal. According to estimates made later, Pueblo Bonito accommodated not more than 800 residents. It was also suggested that 3-4 rooms were occupied by each family and that these rooms were connected by many T-shaped interior doorways. Also, there was absolutely no outside access to the room blocks, except from the central courtyard. Some studies also suggest that the Pueblo Bonito was neither a city nor a village. Instead, it was a popular ritual center. This is evident from the existence of ‘kivas’, the ceremonial structures, near the Great House.
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