We've take several trips to Colorado and New Mexico between 2005, 2013, to the prsent, with a lot of stops at Anasazi indian ruins, like Bandelier, Mesa Verde, and Chaco Culture.
One of the most impressive of all is Chaco Culture.
The level of development and sophisicication of the buildings was most impressive.
Its not just the size of the buildings but the quality of the workmanship, some of the archaeologists refer to the Chaco Plan, or Chaco Mode of building.
In Mesa Verde and Bandelier you see lots of kivas as you do at Chaco, but Chaco also has it's Great Kivas which dwarf all other ceremonial constructions that I've seen in the Southwest.
Chaco also has it roads, over 400 miles of roads averaging about 30 ft. wide, similar too the Roman Empire, but on a smaller scale.
Towers were built along the roads with fires maintained on top of them to guide travelers at night.
Click on a pic to go to that section. | ||
![]() Bandelier pueblo. |
![]() Mesa Verde Cliff Palace. |
Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon (pic from newmexicooutdoor.com). |
In the modern Pueblo Culture, a Pueblo is both a building and a tribe. IndianPueblo.org Kivas were usually built by and for a clan withing the pueblo culture. Bandelier's book, "The Delight Makers" mentions about 10 clans in the group he was describing. The pueblo culture was matriarcal, women built and owned the "house" and the men visited their family's home. "https://indianpueblo.org/matriarchs-at-the-heart-of-pueblo-families/". The men built and mostly lived in their kivas. If you're interested in learning more about pueblo (Anasazi) culture, read "The Delight Makers" or check out this site: indianpueblo.org