Wijiji facts for kids
Wijiji is an amazing ancient building and archaeological site. It was built by the Ancestral Puebloans, who were people living in the southwestern United States a long time ago. Wijiji is found in a special place called Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, United States.
This building is known as a "great house" because it's much bigger and more complex than regular homes from that time. Wijiji has just over 100 rooms, making it the smallest of the great houses in Chaco Canyon. It was built between the years 1110 and 1115 AD, and it was actually the very last great house to be constructed in Chaco Canyon. Wijiji is a bit isolated, meaning it's by itself in a narrow valley called the Chaco Wash. It's about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) away from another great house called Una Vida.
What Does the Name Wijiji Mean?
The name Wijiji comes from a Navajo word, but it's a bit changed. The original Navajo word is Díwózhiishzhiin, which means black greasewood. Greasewood is a type of plant that grows in the desert. So, the name Wijiji is a simpler way of saying "black greasewood" in the Navajo language. Some people even say it might be the word with the most dots in a row!
