Great house (pueblo) facts for kids
Great houses were huge, multi-story buildings. They were made by the Ancestral Puebloans, an ancient people of the Southwest. These amazing structures were built a long time ago, between the years 850 and 1150.
Most great houses are found in Chaco Canyon. But you can also find them in other places. These include areas like the Mesa Verde region. People aren't totally sure why they were built. Maybe they were homes for many people, or places for important leaders. They were designed to protect people from the hot, dry climate. They had strong walls and small windows for safety.
Contents
Why Were Great Houses Built?
Building great houses was most popular in the late 1000s and early 1100s. Some might have started as early as the year 800. People in the Mesa Verde area often built new great houses on top of older villages. The first buildings like great houses were found near the Mimbres River in New Mexico.
Experts have different ideas about their purpose. Some think they were homes for many families. Others believe they were special places for religious ceremonies. Archeologist Stephen H. Lekson suggested they might have been palaces for Puebloan royalty. This idea is especially for the great houses in Chaco Canyon. The Chaco Canyon area was also a big trading center. About half of these buildings were used as storage rooms.
How Great Houses Were Designed
The rooms inside great houses were often divided into four sections. These sections lined up with the main directions: north, south, east, and west. This was important for religious reasons. For example, the great houses at Pueblo Alto were built along a north-south line.
The main entrances usually faced south or southeast. This helped keep the buildings cool in summer. It also let in warmth from the sun in winter. The back walls of the buildings were often joined together. This protected them from strong winds. In the center of a great house was a plaza. This open area was a gathering place for the community. Some great houses also had special areas for games, like ball courts. They also had platform mounds, which were raised areas.
The buildings had very thick walls. They also had small doors and windows. This design helped protect the people inside from the hot, dry weather. The walls were made from stone and adobe plaster. Adobe is a mix of clay, sand, and straw. The roofs were made from timber. These wooden roofs have worn away over time. The stone walls, however, are still standing.
Great House Influence Today
The design of great houses has inspired modern buildings. For example, Mary Colter was an architect who designed buildings in the Southwest. She created Hopi House at the Grand Canyon. This building was modeled after the Puebloan great houses. It was built in 1904 to give visitors a place to stay. It also showed them the scale of these ancient structures. Hopi House was one of her first projects in the Grand Canyon area. It was built before the area became a national park.
Images for kids
-
Ruins of walls of an ancient Pueblo structure at El Morro National Monument.
-
Pueblo Bonito, showing how the walls were built.
