Una Vida facts for kids
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Location | San Juan County, New Mexico, ![]() |
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Region | San Juan County, New Mexico |
Coordinates | 36°2′1.32″N 107°54′44.64″W / 36.0337000°N 107.9124000°W |
History | |
Founded | 900 |
Cultures | Chacoan civilization |
Site notes | |
Responsible body: private |
Una Vida is an ancient site found in Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, United States. It is one of the oldest and largest "great houses" built by the ancient Pueblo people of the Chacoan civilization.
Construction at Una Vida started around 800 AD. This was about the same time as another famous great house, Pueblo Bonito. Una Vida had at least two stories and 160 rooms. It was shaped like an arc or a letter D, similar to Peñasco Blanco and Pueblo Bonito. However, it has a special "dog leg" part because of the land's shape. The site is near Gallo Wash, a major side valley. It grew much bigger after 930 AD.
Around Una Vida, you can see ancient rock art and carvings called petroglyphs. These show human shapes, sun symbols, and other designs. The site was first officially noted in the mid-1800s by the US military. They were mapping the area of what is now New Mexico. Una Vida was later partly dug up by archaeologists in the 1950s and 1960s.
What Does Una Vida Mean?
The name Una Vida comes from the Spanish language. It means "One Life."
The Chaco Road Network
The Chaco Road is a system of old roads. These roads spread out from important great house sites like Pueblo Bonito, Chetro Ketl, and Una Vida. They connected these main sites to smaller villages on the edges of Chaco Canyon.
Today, Una Vida still looks much like it did long ago. Only small parts of it have been dug up by archaeologists. There is a one-mile walking path for visitors. This path lets people explore the ancient site.