Culture and Ecology of Chaco Canyon and the San Juan Basin

The Florescence 143Other Small House ExcavationsOther contemporary small sites, either tested orpartially excavated, include 29SJ625 (the Three-C site,previously excavated by Gordon Vivian 1965) and29SJ626 East. No formal reports have yet been prepared,but information from these sites has been. incorporated into studies by McKenna (1986), Truell(1986), and Windes (1993d), and compared with datafrom excavations at 29SJ627 and 29SJ629.When Windes re-examined 29SJ625, the Three­C site, he located an earlier pithouse a..'1d floors (seeTruell 1986:Figure A.89) beneath the structures describedby Gordon Vivian (1965). McKenna (1986:11) indicated that plaza-facing rooms are similar inpattern to other mid- to late A.D. 900s to early 1000ssmall sites even though Vivian's maps and discussiondo not make this clear (compare Truell 1986:FiguresA.89 and A. 95 with Vivian 1965:Figure 2). Truell(1986:266, Table A.4) provided dimensions forabove-ground rooms during this period. Windes(1993:207) suggested that the secondary pit structurelocation fits a pattern seen at 29SJ626 East and29SJ627 and indicates the need for additional space inthe A.D. 900s for specialized tasks.At 29SJ626, the West House was tested in 1976,but no structures were excavated (Truell 1986:267;Windes 1993:7). Ceramics dated to the mid-A.D.900s through mid-lOOOs (TruellI986:267). During1983 and 1984, when the park's road alignment wasbeing changed, the East House was partially excavated(Windes 1993:7). Architecture was similar to othercontemporary sites (Windes 1993:207, 278, Table7.2). Archaeomagnetic samples ranged in the lateA.D. 900s and early lOoos. Although much of thematerial culture has not yet been analyzed, Windes(1993: 187) found evidence for the breaking of overallindented corrugated jars at the time of abandonment.He suggested that purposeful destruction of theseChuskan vessels, which are later than the otherceramics at 29SJ626, was possibly due to inability tocope with bad times between A.D. 990 and 1040(Windes 1993:404).29S]389 (Pueblo Alto)This one-story, D-shaped great house (Figure5.8), located on the north mesa, has 133 rooms. Ofthese, 13 rooms and two kivas were excavated in anattempt to better understand relationships between thisgreat house and others within the canyon and the SanJuan Basin, as well its relationship with contemporaneoussmall-house sites. Several other structureson the mesa top form the small community (Figure5.9) that Windes (1987[1 and II] and Mathien andWindes 1987) documented in detail.Windes (1987[1]) discerned an early settlementbeneath the great house. Rooms 50 and 51, and anarea with several features located beneath the latergreat house and plaza, contained a Red Mesa ceramicassemblage that dates in the early A.D. lOoos, andpinpoints the first use of this location.Windes (1987[1]) envisioned five constructionstages for the great house, beginning around A.D.1020 to 1040 and ending about A.D. 1100 to 1140,which fall into three major categories: Primary siteuse (stages 1 through III); remodeling and construction(stage IV), which alters the form and function of thesite; and late remodeling (stage V), which exhibits adefinite contrast in patterns, layout, and use of space.Stage I (A.D. 1020 to 1040), represented by thecentral room block (Figures 5.10 and 5.11), consistsof five "big-room" suites and at least three "court"kivas. These features are similar to smaller sized featuresin small house sites. The large front rooms inthe big-room suites contain heating pits, which suggestpossible habitation use; but they lack the morepermanent cooking facilities (e. g., firepits) thatsuggest full-time habitation. At this time, rooms 208and 209, located just east of a road spur that leaves RS33, a route from the canyon floor originating betweenPueblo Bonito and Pueblo del Arroyo that passes thenorthwest comer of Pueblo Alto and continues towardthe north-northeast, were constructed (Windes1987[1]: 113, 160). These rooms were later integratedinto the southern arc that enclosed Plaza 1.Stage II, the West Wing, was built between A.D.1020 and 1050 (Figure 5.12). This L-shaped roomblock contains big-room suites; here, however, the bigrooms contain firepits rather than heating pits. Thisroom block also includes other rooms that exhibitmore variability in suite size. Windes interpreted thisas a habitation area.