The remains of Chetro Ketl great house. That wee little truck near the bottom gives you an idea for
scale. These pueblo style structures are about 1,000 years old, and Chaco Canyon contains several great
houses and numerous smaller structures. The early research, even until recently, assumed these were
year round dwellings and that as many as 30,000 people occupied the canyon. Present indications suggest
the great pueblos were primarily used for ceremonial purposes. I find this equally astounding considering
the largest pueblos may have stood as high as five stories containing 600 rooms and 40 kivas (ceremonial
chambers). Consider the effort required given that timbers used in construction were hauled for distances
up to 40 miles by labourers with no pack animals and no wheel. The stone and mortar components for
masonry were quarried and transported over smaller distances. So, consider the economic bounty that
must exist to maintain structures and infrastructure as extensive as the cities in the world's most
advanced cultures, and then reconsider the notion that they were maintained primarily for ceremonial
purposes.
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Chetro Ketl
A Chaco Canyon Great House
Near Thoreau, New Mexico
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