Chapter 4

A Descriptive and Interpretive Summary of Excavations,
by Architectural Block

by Kristin A. Kuckelman, Bruce A. Bradley, Melissa J. Churchill, and James H. Kleidon

Editor's Note: This chapter was originally published in 2003 as a stand-alone publication. It was revised in 2007 for incorporation into this publication. Most changes were minor and made to eliminate redundancies with other chapters in the publication. One substantive change, however, reflects a refinement to the dating of Sand Canyon Pueblo—specifically, the date inferred for the end of village occupation. In the original 2003 publication, the end date was given as "about A.D. 1285"; in this revised chapter, it has been changed to "about A.D. 1280." This change was based on the results of artifact analyses that had not been completed in 2003 and on the results of a study of village abandonment by Kuckelman (2007*1).

Introduction

This chapter presents a summary of the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center's excavations at Sand Canyon Pueblo (Site 5MT765). During nine seasons of excavation, staff archaeologists and participants in the Center's research and education programs wholly or partly excavated 24 kivas, 82 rooms, four towers, and numerous middens, features, and other cultural deposits, for a total of approximately 5 percent of the surface area of the site. Our goal in this chapter is not to give a complete accounting of the results of these excavations, but to describe and interpret the archaeological context. Much of this chapter is devoted to discussions of construction sequence, spatial and functional associations between structures, and the abandonment of individual structures and groups of associated structures. Additional excavation details are available online in The Sand Canyon Pueblo Database, an online compilation of data and interpretations at the level of the individual study unit, and in the multisite research database, which includes information about Sand Canyon Pueblo and other sites investigated by Crow Canyon.

Sand Canyon Pueblo included an estimated 420 rooms, 90 kivas, 14 towers, an enclosed plaza, a D-shaped bi-wall building, a great kiva, and other structures and features (Database Map 4001). Most of the pueblo was built inside a masonry wall that enclosed the village on the west, north, east, and southwest. Inside the wall, masonry structures were built both on the canyon rim and on the slopes below the rim. Structures appear to be clustered into discrete groups, designated architectural blocks (Adams 1984*4:12; Bradley 1992*2:80). Each block is generally composed of multiple kiva suites or of a public building (such as a great kiva) and its associated structures. Crow Canyon researchers define a kiva suite as a single, ordinary- or clan-size kiva and all the buildings, outdoor spaces, and refuse inferred to have been directly associated with it (Bradley 1992*2:81).

Crow Canyon Excavations at Sand Canyon Pueblo: An Overview

The excavations at Sand Canyon Pueblo were conducted by a team consisting of staff archaeologists, staff educators, interns, volunteers, and thousands of adult and student participants in the Center's research and education programs. Fieldwork was directed by E. Charles Adams from 1983 to 1984 and by Bruce A. Bradley from 1985 to 1993. Chapter 2 presents a year-by-year summary of the excavations and provides the names of other individuals who contributed to both the fieldwork and postexcavation effort that has culminated in the publication of this volume.

The excavations at Sand Canyon Pueblo were guided by the research design for the larger Sand Canyon Archaeological Project, which is discussed in Chapter 2 (paragraphs 23–27). Also included in Chapter 2 (paragraphs 28–32) is a summary of the sampling strategy and objectives at Sand Canyon Pueblo specifically. In general, excavations at Sand Canyon Pueblo were designed to investigate community structure, cultural change, and regional depopulation in the late thirteenth century A.D. (Bradley 1992*2:79). The main objectives were to learn about the chronology and use history of the pueblo and to better understand how the village functioned in relation to smaller habitations in the surrounding area.

The paragraphs that immediately follow (paragraphs 6–9) provide important background information about sampling strategy, labeling conventions, and kiva construction at Sand Canyon Pueblo that will help the reader understand the individual block descriptions and the maps linked to text passages. Far more (and more-detailed) information about the site and its environs and the excavation and interpretation of specific study units can be found in The Sand Canyon Pueblo Database and in the multisite research database.

Sampling Strategy

Four strategies were employed in Crow Canyon's excavations at Sand Canyon Pueblo. Three of these strategies—the intensive excavation of selected kiva suites, the test excavation of selected individual kivas, and the test excavation of buildings suspected of being public architecture or community architecture (as opposed to ordinary domestic structures)—were "judgmental" in nature; that is, they focused on contexts that were believed to have the potential to yield specific kinds of information (see Database Map 4001). The fourth strategy consisted of the excavation of a stratified random ("probability") sample of nonarchitectural areas of the site. During this phase of field research, areas of the site that appeared to be devoid of structures were divided into three sampling strata; randomly selected 2-x-2-m test pits were then excavated within each stratum (Database Map 4002). Most of the inferences presented in this chapter are based on data generated from the judgmental excavations, but some interpretations also draw on the results of the random-sample testing, particularly when test units yielded important tree-ring samples or unexpectedly revealed buried cultural features, such as masonry walls (see, for example, Database Map 4005 and Database Map 4009).

Study Unit Labeling Conventions

At all sites excavated by Crow Canyon researchers, study units are referred to by type and number. The type names correspond to three broad descriptive categories—structures, nonstructures, and arbitrary units. Each study unit number is unique, with the first one or two digits corresponding to the number of the architectural block in which the study unit is located, and the last one or two digits being assigned sequentially within the block. Thus, at Sand Canyon Pueblo, Architectural Block 1200 includes Structure 1202 (a room), Structure 1203 (a tower), Structure 1206 (a kiva), and Nonstructure 1214 (a midden). In the associated online databases, most study unit information is organized and accessed according to these designations. In this chapter, however, and on the maps included in the online databases, study units are referred to by more-specific, culturally and archaeologically meaningful descriptors such as "room," "tower," "kiva," and "midden." Thus, Structures 1202, 1203, and 1206 are referred to in this text and on the maps as Room 1202, Tower 1203, and Kiva 1206, respectively, and Nonstructure 1214 is referred to as Midden 1214. It therefore is the number of the study unit, rather than the descriptive label, that allows the reader to find information in the databases that corresponds to the information presented in this text.

Several structures at Sand Canyon Pueblo are inferred to have had two stories (see paragraph 13 for a description of the criteria used to identify second-story structures). In these cases, the two stories were assigned separate structure numbers, and information about each was entered into the database separately. On the database maps, the number of the upper structure appears above the number of the lower structure, and a horizontal line separates the two designations (see, for example, the two-story building consisting of Rooms 1217 [upper] and 1205 [lower] on Database Map 4159). Similarly, in text, the two numbers are separated by a slash, and the number of the upper story precedes that of the lower story (for example, Rooms 1217/1205).

Kiva Construction at Sand Canyon Pueblo

Most ancient kivas in the Mesa Verde region were circular, subterranean structures whose walls were finished with masonry veneer. The veneer covered, and was supported by, the sediments into which the structure had been excavated prehistorically. At Sand Canyon Pueblo, however, the presence of large expanses of bedrock at, or slightly below, the prehistoric ground surface dictated that most kivas be built aboveground. These structures were built within masonry "enclosing structures," which were usually rectangular and which supported the masonry veneer of the kiva walls in much the same way that earth supported the walls of subterranean kivas. The construction of a circular structure within a rectangular enclosure resulted in the creation of four small spaces between the veneer wall and the enclosing wall. Many of these corner spaces were deliberately filled with rubble as part of kiva construction. Others, however, were roofed and maintained as usable space, probably for storage. Most of these "kiva corner rooms" at Sand Canyon Pueblo were connected to the main chamber of the associated kiva by a small opening in the upper lining wall of the kiva; however, a few were connected by an opening through a wall of the kiva's ventilation tunnel (see Database Map 4048 and Database Map 4205). Because these openings, called "pass-throughs," are not large enough to have accommodated an adult or even a large child, it is assumed that entry into corner rooms was through roof hatchways (see feature definitions in the field manual). This assumption is strengthened by the discovery of hatchways in two preserved corner-room roofs at the site (in Rooms 1219 and 1222). All corner rooms at Sand Canyon Pueblo were assigned their own structure numbers, different from the numbers assigned to their associated kivas.

Definitions, Assumptions, and Inferences

Paragraphs 11–28 contain explanatory information pertinent to the interpretations presented in this chapter. Definitions of some frequently used archaeological terms are provided, as are explanations of the principles used to interpret tree-ring dates, construction sequences, associations between structures, and abandonment processes.

Architecture

As the term is used in this chapter, a wall abutment is an intersection of walls where the stones of the two walls do not overlap or interconnect (Database Photo 3289); often, the end of one wall is built against the face of the other. A wall that is abutted by another wall is inferred to have been constructed earlier than the wall that abuts it. Conversely, a wall that abuts another wall is inferred to have been constructed later than the wall it abuts. However, it is important to note that abutments indicate sequence of construction only, and no particular length of time between the two constructions is implied or inferred. In fact, two walls involved in an abutment could have been constructed the same day, or many years apart.

Tied walls contain at least a few stones that overlap between the walls (see, for example, Database Photo 3327). Any two tied walls are usually inferred to have been built at one time, and this is the principle used to infer construction sequence in this chapter. However, there is evidence to suggest that, in some instances of ancient Pueblo construction in this region, stones were left protruding from the face or the end of a wall as a "planned tie." In those instances, it appears that masons recognized that tied walls were structurally superior to abutted walls and, when building one wall, left some rocks protruding from a corner in the direction that they anticipated subsequent construction. No planned ties (either subsequently used or not) were recognized during Crow Canyon's excavations at Sand Canyon Pueblo.

The heights of extant walls of masonry surface structures varied widely at the site (compare Database Photo 1902 and Database Photo 1938), as did the sizes of rubble mounds in various architectural blocks. It is clear that the walls of some structures were taller than was necessary for single-story buildings, and, in some structures, stratigraphic evidence suggests that more than one story might have been present originally. However, in this publication, as well as in The Sand Canyon Pueblo Database, a building is interpreted as having two stories only if there is clearly documented evidence that the structure walls continued above at least one preserved roof-beam socket or roof-support ledge (see Database Photo 2041). Because the amount of rubble within and around structures was not quantified, it is not used as a criterion for inferring the original existence of multiple stories.

Three modes of entry into structures were found at this site—floor-level doorways, raised-sill doorways, and hatchways. By definition, the bottom of a floor-level doorway is flush with the floor of the structure (Database Photo 3515). The bottom of a raised-sill doorway is above the floor of the structure (Database Photo 3489). A hatchway is an opening in a roof (Database Photo 2968).

Structures that were physically "connected" in some manner are inferred to have been associated with each other in ways that structures with no such connection were not. Inferences of associations between structures are based primarily on the existence and locations of openings that allowed mutual passage or access between structures, a method commonly used to analyze the use of space (Bradley 1992*2:94–95, 1993*1:29–33; Goodwill-Cohen 2001*1; Hillier and Hanson 1984*1; Kent 1990*2; Kuckelman 1977*1). Other clues to associations between structures are proximity and structure orientation. In a few instances, different portions of the same broken vessels were found in multiple structures, which is also viewed as possible evidence of association between structures.

Kiva corner rooms are always assumed to have been associated with the kiva to which they are connected by an opening ("pass-through") through the wall. Because these openings are not large enough to have been doorways, it is inferred that they allowed the transfer of objects between the two structures. A person in the kiva could have reached through the opening to obtain an object in the corner room; however, all observed corner rooms, with the possible exception of those associated with Kiva 306 (Database Map 4083), would have been too large both horizontally and vertically for the contents to have been fully accessible to someone reaching through the pass-through from the kiva side. In addition, some objects found in corner rooms (see, for example, Room 118, Database Map 4048) are too large to have fit through the pass-through. Therefore, it is assumed that corner rooms allowed entry through hatchways in their roofs (also see paragraph 9).

Dating

In this chapter, estimates of when buildings and kiva suites were constructed rely heavily on the results of tree-ring dating. Stem-and-leaf plots, which are visual displays of tree-ring dates by decade, are accessible for each study unit for which tree-ring dates are available from Sand Canyon Pueblo (see stem-and-leaf plots). More-detailed tree-ring information, including date suffixes and species identifications, is provided in The Sand Canyon Pueblo Database. Also contained in the database are discussions and interpretations of tree-ring dates by study unit; it is important for the reader to be aware that the dating arguments for individual study units (structures and nonstructures) are provided in the database and are not repeated in this chapter; rather, only the final conclusions reached in those discussions are presented herein.

All tree-ring dates, which were generated by the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research in Tucson, Arizona, are presented with suffixes that indicate whether a given date is a cutting or a noncutting date. The following suffixes are used by the tree-ring laboratory:

B = Bark is present.

r = Less than a full section is present, but the outermost ring is continuous around the available circumference.

v = A subjective judgment that, although there is no direct evidence of the true outside on the sample, the date is within a very few years of being a cutting date.

vv = There is no way of estimating how far the last ring is from the true outside; many rings may be lost.

+ = One or a few rings may be missing near the outside whose presence or absence cannot be determined, because the series does not extend far enough to provide adequate cross dating.

++ = A ring count is necessary beyond a certain point in the series because cross dating ceases.

The suffixes "B" and "r" indicate cutting dates; that is, the year given is the year the tree died. The suffix "v" is considered by many researchers, including the authors of this chapter, to be near enough to the year the tree died to be interpreted as a cutting date. The suffix "vv" indicates a noncutting date.

Of the 751 datable tree-ring samples from Sand Canyon Pueblo submitted to the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, 723 (96 percent) are juniper wood and 22 (3 percent) are pinyon pine (the remainder are wood from other trees; see The Sand Canyon Pueblo Database). However, these few pinyon samples yielded many of the latest dates for the site (the mean of the 22 dates from pinyon samples is A.D. 1246, whereas the mean of the 723 dates from juniper samples is A.D. 1177). The reason for this is not obvious. The residents might have increased their use of pinyon timbers in building construction late in the occupation of the village. There is no question that pinyon wood was used for some roof construction at this site, because the nearly intact roof of Room 1519 included two small-diameter pinyon timbers (dated to A.D. 1202vv and 1218+r). However, several pinyon samples that dated from late in the occupation of the village were found in refuse, in burned features, or in ambiguous contexts rather than in deposits of obvious roofing material; therefore, at least some of the pinyon samples undoubtedly are from fuelwood (for example, tree-ring laboratory sample no. 409, from Kiva 208, Feature 34) rather than from construction wood. For this reason, dates derived from pinyon samples are interpreted conservatively, both in this chapter and in the dating inferences contained in The Sand Canyon Pueblo Database. Dates from samples that might have been fuelwood are inferred to reflect time of occupation rather than time of construction of specific buildings.

The basic principles and assumptions used to interpret the 751 tree-ring dates for Sand Canyon Pueblo are consistent with those developed by Dean (1982*2) and Ahlstrom (1985*1) and later summarized by Lightfoot (1994*1:25–26). Specifically, interpretations of tree-ring dates, as presented both in this chapter and in The Sand Canyon Pueblo Database, are based on the following assumptions:

Construction usually occurred within a few years after trees were cut.
The latest cluster of cutting dates for a structure indicates trees that were cut to construct that building.
Earlier clusters of cutting dates indicate timbers salvaged from earlier structures.
Noncutting dates are the result of damage to the outside of the timber and do not reflect the year of construction.
If there are no clusters of cutting dates for a structure, the latest cutting date is the best estimate of when the structure was built.
If the latest date for a structure is a noncutting date, the structure was built or repaired sometime after that date.

There are some structures at Sand Canyon Pueblo for which no tree-ring dates are available; when possible, wall ties and abutments are used in combination with tree-ring dates from other structures in the same architectural block to infer construction sequences within the block. For architectural blocks for which few or no tree-ring dates are available, the presence of specific pottery types was used for dating. This method is far less precise than tree-ring dating, and the results, rather than reflecting the time of construction, indicate the entire span of use.

Abandonment

In this chapter, several principles and lines of evidence are used to infer abandonment type and circumstance at the level of the kiva suite and architectural block; the abandonment of individual structures is addressed in The Sand Canyon Pueblo Database. As discussed in the following paragraphs, the types of refuse present in structures, the stratigraphic position of that refuse, the context and condition of human remains, and the condition of structure roofs all provide important clues about abandonment.

Secondary refuse is defined by Schiffer (1972*1:161, 1987*1:58–64) as material discarded away from its location of use. In The Sand Canyon Pueblo Database, the presence of this type of refuse on a structure floor is the basis for the inference that the structure was used for the disposal of refuse about the time it was abandoned. Secondary refuse found in structure fill obviously would have been deposited later than the material resting on the floor of the same structure. In either case, the presence of secondary refuse is used in this chapter to infer that one or more nearby structures continued to be occupied after the structure in question was abandoned. Conversely, the absence of secondary refuse or other types of culturally deposited material in the fills of multiple, clustered structures indicates that a particular structure and the other structures in the immediate vicinity were all abandoned at the same time.

De facto refuse is defined as still-usable materials left behind at abandonment (Schiffer 1972*1:160, 1987*1:89). At Sand Canyon Pueblo, an abundance of this type of refuse on a floor or outdoor use surface or in collapsed roofing material is used to infer either that the departure of the residents was hasty and unplanned or that the anticipated move was over a long distance and all belongings could not be transported. Further, the preservation of this type of assemblage indicates that, after the residents of the structure or kiva suite migrated from the village, no one scavenged the items. It is possible that the residents of the structures containing large quantities of de facto refuse were some of the last to depart from the area in the late A.D. 1200s or that, when these villagers left, so many other residents of the village and the area were also migrating that there was generally little demand for additional material possessions.

A great deal of the data used to study the events surrounding the abandonment of structures and kiva suites at Sand Canyon Pueblo derives from materials that were found in "abandonment contexts." This type of context reflects the final cultural use of, or event that occurred in, a specific location, as evidenced by the absence of culturally deposited material above (that is, stratigraphically later than) the deposit in question. For example, artifacts on the floor of a structure would not be inferred to be in an abandonment context if the fill of the structure contained secondary refuse or some other type of culturally deposited material.

The presence of human remains in abandonment contexts is particularly important in interpreting the circumstances surrounding the abandonment of structures and kiva suites.¹ All human remains are inferred to be in abandonment contexts unless there is evidence that the remains were formally interred or there is culturally deposited material above the remains. It is assumed that, under normal circumstances at Sand Canyon Pueblo, human remains were formally buried; the presence of remains in abandonment contexts therefore could indicate abnormal circumstances that prevented formal interment. Careful taphonomic² study of human remains found in this type of context, regardless of the degree of articulation, is imperative in determining the final events that occurred at a site. Furthermore, it is likely that the greater the number of individuals represented by the remains found in contemporaneous abandonment contexts at a site, the greater the likelihood that the circumstances surrounding the end of the occupation of the settlement involved a catastrophe, such as warfare or an epidemic.

Another important line of evidence in interpreting the abandonment of kiva suites and architectural blocks is the state of the roofing material. A few roofs at Sand Canyon Pueblo were intact (in place), or nearly intact, at the time of Crow Canyon's excavations (Database Photo 2968); other structures contained collapsed roofing sediment and rotted beams (Database Photo 3167). All these roofs had been left intact when the structures were abandoned. Still other structures contained sediment from their collapsed roofs, but little or no evidence of the timbers; it is inferred that the roof timbers from these structures might have been salvaged prehistorically.

The roofs of numerous structures at the site had burned to some extent (Database Photo 1979). For three reasons this burning is assumed to have been intentional. First, it has been demonstrated that earth-covered structures do not readily burn accidentally (Glennie 1983*1; Wilshusen 1986*1:247). Second, the burning of structures does not appear to have been a random occurrence, either through time or by type of structure (Wilshusen 1986*1). And, third, a structure that burned accidentally could be expected to contain many household items, both perishable and nonperishable, that could not be safely removed after the structure had begun to burn. There are few structures dating from any period in this region that fit this description (Cameron 1990*2; Schlanger and Wilshusen 1993*1; Varien 1999*1:118–121; Wilshusen 1986*1). At Sand Canyon Pueblo, all structures that contained substantive evidence of burning were kivas. The kivas in which the burned roofing material rested on the floor are inferred to have been burned at the same time the structures were abandoned. In other structures, the burned material rested on a layer of naturally deposited sediment; this indicates that these structures had been abandoned for some time before their roofs were burned.

Chapter Content and Organization

This chapter contains descriptive and interpretive summaries at the level of the individual kiva suite and architectural block. The summaries are based primarily on field data generated during Crow Canyon's excavations at the site. Although reference is made to individual cultural study units (such as structures, middens, and extramural surfaces) for the purposes of developing arguments at the level of the kiva suite and architectural block, detailed descriptions and interpretations of those study units are not included in this chapter. Instead, the reader is referred to The Sand Canyon Pueblo Database and the research database for more-detailed information. To access the overall site map, click here. (NOTE: if you would like to keep the map accessible as you read text, open it in a new tab or window.)

As mentioned in Chapter 1, paragraph 9, many works containing information about Sand Canyon Pueblo have been published over the years, while data were still actively being generated and scrutinized. It therefore is not surprising that some of the earlier publications contain data and interpretations that differ from some of the data and interpretations presented in this chapter. It is impractical to call to the reader's attention every discrepancy between earlier publications and this chapter, but several of the more important shifts in interpretation are noted throughout the text.

The following block summaries are presented in numerical order by architectural block. Each summary begins with a list of the structures, extramural surfaces, and middens excavated by Crow Canyon in that particular block. The remainder of each discussion focuses on (1) the spatial arrangement of excavated structures, (2) the sequence of construction and the dating of specific building episodes, (3) possible associations between structures, and (4) the abandonment of structures and kiva suites.⁽³⁾ A brief synthesis is provided at the end of each block summary. The plaza and the site-enclosing wall are examined in separate sections, a discussion section addresses various site-wide topics, and conclusions are then presented.

Architectural Block Summaries

Architectural Block 100

Crow Canyon's testing of Block 100 included the complete excavation of two circular, aboveground kivas (Kivas 102 and 108); a subrectangular, aboveground kiva (Kiva 107); a D-shaped tower (Tower 101); three aboveground rooms interpreted as storage rooms (Rooms 104, 105, and 106); and three kiva corner rooms (Rooms 116, 117, and 118) (Database Map 4021, Database Map 4001). A portion of an additional aboveground room (Room 110, Database Map 4022) and an extramural surface (Arbitrary Unit 114, Database Map 4053), as well as portions of two middens (Middens 103 and 109, Database Map 4021), were also excavated. Three kivas were excavated in this architectural block; thus, at least three kiva suites are represented within the excavated group of structures.

Most of the excavated structures in this block abut the south, or inside, face of the site-enclosing wall; however, Tower 101—a D-shaped tower—abuts the north face. An apparent kiva depression is just west of the excavated structures, and the area immediately south and southeast of the excavated structures appears to have been open space. The sparse structures adjacent to the east seem to include a few rooms and a kiva, and the drainage that divides the site is just east of those buildings. Although there are some unanswered questions with regard to wall junctures (tied vs. abutted) within the group of excavated structures in this block, the construction sequence outlined below is believed to be the most likely.

Construction Sequence

It is probable that the first construction in the intensively excavated portion of Block 100 was the segment of the site-enclosing wall that extends west from the southeast corner of Tower 101 (see Database Map 4021). The east end of this wall segment is tied to the remains of a north-south wall, forming the northeast corner of an unnumbered structure that would have predated Room 106. This north-south wall was later modified during the construction of Kiva 102. Also tied to the site-enclosing wall is a stub of a different north-south wall that later formed the north end of the west wall of Kiva 107. There is a niche in the east face of this wall stub. The presence of this feature suggests that the stub was originally part of the west wall of an enclosed structure (the unnumbered structure mentioned previously), because niches are seldom found in the exterior faces of walls. Or, it is possible that the niche was added after Kiva 107 was built. The tying of this west wall to the site-enclosing wall indicates that a structure, or at least the stub, was built at the same time as this section of the site-enclosing wall and predated Kiva 107. The stub could be all that is left of the west wall of the unnumbered structure whose east wall was the first north-south wall mentioned above.

There are other structural remains in this immediate area that predate the construction of Room 106 and Kiva 107. However, the data are too incomplete to permit the reconstruction of the early history of this part of the block, due in part to the reluctance of the excavators to destroy the later structures to investigate earlier structures. For example, the portion of the west wall of Kiva 107 that is south of the aforementioned stub was probably originally part of a structure that postdated the unnumbered structure mentioned above but predated Kiva 107. Evidence of this is the location of a pass-through (Feature 4) in this wall (Database Map 4040). The lower portion of this pass-through is below the level of the floor of Kiva 107. After the structure associated with the pass-through was built, additional walls were constructed in this area, evidenced by sections of at least two walls (Database Map 4053) beneath the floor of Kiva 107. Of these, the north-south wall (Arbitrary Unit 114, Feature 3) was built first. The wall oriented northeast-southwest (Arbitrary Unit 114, Feature 2) was then built, abutting both the north-south wall (Feature 3) and the west wall of Kiva 107. These walls, as well as a bedrock feature, are associated with the surface (Arbitrary Unit 114, Surface 1) below the floor of Kiva 107.

The two doorways in this same section of site-enclosing wall were also constructed when this part of the wall was built (Database Map 4040). These doorways provided access between Tower 101 and the structure that originally occupied the space south of the site-enclosing wall. Tower 101 was also probably built at the same time as, or shortly after, this section of site-enclosing wall. Two lines of evidence support this inference. The first is the presence of the doorway; there would have been no need for a general-access opening through the site-enclosing wall in this location, which was just a few meters from the end of the wall when the doorway was constructed. The second line of evidence is the presence of a niche (Feature 3) that was built into the north face of the enclosing wall when the wall was constructed (Database Map 4026). The presence of this feature suggests that when this section of wall was built, the construction of Tower 101 was planned. This tower thus might have been built at the same time as the enclosing wall, or might have been built shortly thereafter. The one tree-ring date for Tower 101 suggests that this building was constructed or repaired after A.D. 1250.

Sometime after Tower 101 was built, a new section of site-enclosing wall was constructed that abutted both the east wall of the tower and the existing segment of the site-enclosing wall, which formed the northeast corner of what would eventually become Room 106. This abutment, the only one observed in the excavated portions of the site-enclosing wall, marks a clear construction break (but see paragraph 169 and paragraph 171 for a discussion of other discontinuities in the wall). This new section of site-enclosing wall continued approximately 10 m to the east, where it was tied to a north-south wall that forms the east enclosing wall of Kiva 108. Because only the top course of this eastern kiva-enclosing wall was exposed, it is not possible to state whether the entire wall, as well as the south kiva-enclosing wall to which it is tied, was built at the same time as the site-enclosing wall. It appears that it was not built at the same time as the site-enclosing wall, however, because the south enclosing wall around Kiva 108 abuts the east enclosing wall around Kiva 102, and this east wall abuts, and so was built after, the site-enclosing wall. Thus, if the ties and abutments as documented are correct, then the entire east enclosing wall of Kiva 108 was probably not built in the same construction event as the site-enclosing wall. This east wall appears to have been completed, and the entire south wall built, in a later construction event, probably after Kiva 102 and its corner rooms were built. In fact, it is possible that Kiva 108 was the last of the excavated structures in this block to have been built.

Kiva 102 and its associated corner rooms (Rooms 116 and 117) were probably built at one time. A portion of the wall that encloses this kiva on the west had already been constructed as part of one or more undefined, unnumbered structures located west of Kiva 102. Those undefined structures predate Kiva 102 and probably predate all the buildings in this group of excavated structures. The other enclosing walls around Kiva 102 abut that west enclosing wall in two places. The construction of the enclosing walls around Kiva 102 apparently altered the south end of what became the east wall of Room 106. Kiva 102 is inferred to have been built in either A.D. 1271 or 1274 (see stem-and-leaf plot). The A.D. 1274 dates are from pinyon pine samples (see paragraph 19 for a discussion of the interpretation of pinyon pine dates), and abundant refuse was present in the collapsed roofing material. However, there is no information in the field documentation that suggests that these samples were collected from refuse rather than from the roofing elements in this structure. Alternatively, it is possible that the kiva was built in A.D. 1251 and was repaired in the 1270s. Kiva 108 and its associated corner room (Room 118) would have been built sometime after Kiva 102.

Rooms 104 and 105 are also inferred to have been built after Kiva 102, because the wall that divides these two rooms abuts both the site-enclosing wall and the enclosing wall around Kiva 102. However, the time that passed between the construction of Kiva 102 and the construction of the two rooms need not have been lengthy, and the rooms could even have been built later in the same construction event in which Kiva 102 was created. Sometime after Kiva 102 was built, Kiva 107 was constructed. Most of the walls of Kiva 107 already existed; however, the western portion of the south wall and the northern portion of the east wall would have been built at this time. The construction of the latter also created Room 106.

One additional room, Room 110, was partly exposed during excavations in this architectural block. This room is located in the southwestern portion of the architectural block, approximately 20 m southwest of the group of excavated structures discussed above (see Database Map 4005, Database Map 4022, and Database Map 4001). There are no tree-ring dates for the room, and the relationship, if any, between this room and the group of excavated rooms could not be determined. It is likely that this room was associated with other structures in the southwestern portion of the block.

Associations Between Excavated Structures

There are few data on which to base inferences of associations between the intensively excavated structures in this block. Tower 101 was associated with Kiva 107—as well as with earlier structures located in the space eventually occupied by Kiva 107—by virtue of a shared doorway (Database Photo 2687). Rooms 116 and 117 (corner rooms) clearly were associated with Kiva 102, and Room 118 (another corner room) was associated with Kiva 108. It is not clear which kivas were associated with Rooms 104, 105, and 106, although Room 106 was created when the east wall of Kiva 107 was built and so might have been associated with that kiva. Rooms 104 and 105 appear to have been constructed, or at least planned, when Kiva 102 was built, and thus they might have been associated with that kiva. It is possible that Kiva 108 was associated with unexcavated surface rooms adjacent to the northeast.

Additional possible evidence of associations between structures consists of the locations of portions of the same vessels in abandonment contexts in different structures. Different portions of Vessel 25, a Mesa Verde Black-on-white kiva jar, were found in the following contexts: (1) on the floor and in the roof fall and other fill of Room 105 (a storage room), (2) in a niche in Room 116 (a kiva corner room), (3) in two pit features and the structural fill of Kiva 107, (4) and in the fill of Kiva 102. Portions of Vessels 44 (a Mesa Verde Corrugated Gray jar) and 81 (a Pueblo III White Painted kiva jar) were found on or near the floor and in the roof fall of Kiva 107 and also just above the floor in Kiva 102. The distribution of these sherds could indicate that Kiva 102 (and its associated corner rooms), Room 105, and Kiva 107 were used or inhabited by one group. Or, the distributions could have resulted from ritual abandonment, chaotic abandonment events associated with these structures, or brief postabandonment reuse of the structures. The distributions also suggest that those specific structures, at least, were all in use when this portion of the architectural block was abandoned.

Abandonment

Most of the excavated structures in Block 100 appear to have been abandoned simultaneously. However, Room 110, the partly excavated surface room 20 m southwest of the group of excavated structures, contained a small amount of refuse; the presence of refuse suggests that this structure was abandoned before the other structures in that immediate vicinity were abandoned. None of the structures in the group of intensively excavated structures (shown on Database Map 4021) contained culturally deposited fill, and therefore all are inferred to have been abandoned simultaneously.

Some characteristics of the artifacts found in abandonment contexts in these structures provide clues to abandonment events. Portions of the same vessels were found in several different structures, and none of these sherds shows evidence of having been used as a tool after its parent vessel broke. However, it is not possible to determine the specific circumstances and behaviors that led to the distribution of the sherds. In addition, even though there were few floor-associated artifacts in some buildings (Tower 101 and Rooms 105 and 106), other structures (Room 104 and Kivas 102, 107, and 108) contained appreciable quantities of de facto refuse (Database Photo 2985). The presence of a substantial amount of de facto refuse suggests either that these structures were not abandoned in a leisurely manner or that the occupants were embarking on a lengthy journey and could not take many of their possessions. Because so many usable items were left undisturbed, one might further infer that the abandonment of these structures occurred near the end of the occupation of the village and of the area, when there was little demand for additional material possessions.

The presence of artifacts in a layer of naturally deposited sediment that rested on the floors of Kivas 102 and 108 indicates that some activities occurred in these structures after initial abandonment; however, the exact nature of this reuse has not been determined for either structure. After this layer of sediment had been deposited on the floor of Kiva 102, the roof was burned. After similar sediment and some unburned roofing material came to rest on the floor of Kiva 108, a small portion of the roofing material was also burned.

Additional evidence of abandonment events was documented in the contexts in which human skeletal remains were found and in the condition of the remains. During excavations in Block 100, bones from at least four individuals were found in abandonment contexts—a male 40 to 45 years old (HRO, or Human Remains Occurrence, 2), a female 18 to 20 years old (HRO 3), a male 12 to 15 years old (HRO 4a), and a female 17 to 26 years old (HRO 4b). In addition, the remains of a child 18 to 24 months old (HRO 1) were located in Midden 103 and might have been formally interred originally; however, pothunting in historic times had disturbed these remains, and the original interment type could not be determined. Bones from HROs 2, 3, 4a, and 4b were found in abandonment contexts in Kivas 102, 107, and 108, as well as in Rooms 105, 116, and 118. The results of osteological, taphonomic, and stratigraphic analyses lead to the inference that, about the time these structures and kiva suites were abandoned, there was a violent event in which people were killed (Bradley 2002*1; Kuckelman et al. 2002*2) and their bodies carelessly deposited (Kuckelman et al. 2002*2); also see the feature descriptions for these HROs in The Sand Canyon Pueblo Database).

Summary and Conclusions

The intensively excavated structures in Architectural Block 100 appear to have been constructed sometime after A.D. 1250. However, there are remnants of structures that predate Kiva 107; these structures could not be dated but nevertheless are inferred to have been constructed during the occupation of Sand Canyon Pueblo. The construction of both Tower 101 and the room that predated Kiva 107 appears to have been planned when the western portion of the associated site-enclosing wall was built. And, for an unknown period of time, the site-enclosing wall ended at the southeast corner of the tower (it is not known what other sections of site-enclosing wall existed in other areas of the village at that time). The construction of the other excavated buildings necessitated the addition of a new section of site-enclosing wall, and the new rooms and kivas were tacked onto existing structures in a general west-to-east progression. This new construction probably began in A.D. 1271 or 1274, although it is possible that it occurred before this and that the latest tree-ring dates indicate roof remodeling or repair (the A.D. 1274 dates are from pinyon pine; see paragraph 19). Formal hearths were found only in the kivas, although one shallow firepit was present in Tower 101 and another was found in a storage room (Room 104). This suggests that, if these suites were residential, then most cooking, winter activities requiring heat, and nighttime activities requiring light would have occurred in the kivas. A violent event that resulted in the careless deposition of human remains appears to have occurred about the time these structures were abandoned.

Architectural Block 200

Crow Canyon's testing of Block 200 included the complete excavation of a structure that appears to have been a circular tower (Tower 212) that was remodeled into an aboveground kiva (Kiva 208), as well as six aboveground rooms interpreted as storage rooms (Rooms 202, 203, 204, 206, 207, and 211) and one aboveground room whose use could not be determined (Room 205) (Database Map 4055, Database Map 4001). In addition, portions of two extramural surfaces (Nonstructure 201 and Surface 1 in Nonstructure 209) and portions of two middens (Midden 210 and a layer of trash in Nonstructure 209) were excavated. Although only one kiva was excavated in this block, it is probable that not one, but two, kiva suites are represented within the group of excavated structures. The presence of doorways in the south walls of Rooms 205 and 206 suggests that these two structures were used by the residents of one or more unexcavated kiva suites adjacent to the south. Although the surface rooms observed in this block are quite tall, there is no firm evidence that any of the excavated structures contained two stories.

The excavated structures in Block 200 abut the inside, or southeast, face of the site-enclosing wall; in this area of the site, the wall is oriented northeast-southwest (Database Map 4006). Two apparent kiva depressions are visible just south of the excavated group of structures, and open space inferred to have been used as a plaza borders the group to the northeast, east, and southeast (Database Map 4003). One of only two openings that were exposed in the site-enclosing wall during excavations at the site was observed at the north edge of this group of excavated structures, which is also the north edge of the entire architectural block. At the time of excavation, this feature, which was designated a doorway, consisted of a gap in the wall (Nonstructure 201, Feature 1). It is not clear whether the opening was originally a full-height gap or whether it was a true doorway with continuous construction across the top. If the latter were true, it would indicate unbroken construction of the site-enclosing wall in this location. If, on the other hand, the opening was simply a full-height gap in the wall, then it is possible that this feature represents an actual construction break in the wall (a definite construction break that was not an opening was documented in the site-enclosing wall in Block 100; see paragraph 37 and paragraph 170) and that, for an unknown length of time, either the southwest or the northeast edge of this doorway formed a temporary terminus of the site-enclosing wall. After approximately 40 cm of sediment had been deposited naturally on the bedrock surface at the bottom of this opening, the width of the doorway was reduced substantially by the addition of masonry to the inside faces of both sides of the doorway (Database Map 4055). This remodeling might have been for the purpose of restricting access into the pueblo by outsiders (see also the discussion of the site-enclosing wall, paragraphs 165–175). It is not known how many gaps or openings originally penetrated the site-enclosing wall as a whole but are now covered by sediment.

Construction Sequence

As with Block 100, the order in which the excavated structures in Block 200 were built could not be determined for certain. It is not clear whether the exposed section of the site-enclosing wall or Tower 212 was constructed first. If the site-enclosing wall was built first, then either Room 205 or Tower 212 was constructed second. As previously mentioned, there is a doorway in the south wall of Room 205 (Database Photo 3337). The presence of this doorway suggests that this room was associated with an unexcavated kiva suite to the south. Also, the northeast, southeast, and southwest walls of this room are tied, indicating that these walls were built in one construction episode and that the room predates the construction of Room 204. This suggests that an unexcavated kiva suite to the south might have been built before Kiva Suite 208. The tower could have been associated with the kiva suite to the south, or it might have been a defensive structure associated with the nearby opening (Nonstructure 201, Feature 1) through the site-enclosing wall, or both.

The available evidence indicates that Kiva 208 was constructed inside what was originally a tower (Tower 212), but it was not possible to determine when the kiva was constructed in relation to the construction of the other excavated structures in this block. Many of the exposed room walls abut, and therefore postdate, the tower walls; however, in only one place does construction specific to Kiva 208 contact a structure other than the tower. Characteristics of the walls of the southern recess of Kiva 208 suggest that Tower 212 was modified into a kiva after Room 211 was built (and so also after Rooms 205 and 206 were built). These characteristics include the asymmetrical shape of the southern recess, the irregular width of the interior wall that forms the southwest corner of the recess; and the probable abutting of the narrow, exterior south wall of the southern recess to the southeast corner of Room 211 (Database Map 4055). The odd shape of the southern recess is more likely to have been the result of accommodation to a space that was already formed by the southeast wall of Room 211 than to have been intentionally designed that way. In contrast, the southeast wall of Room 211 is of relatively uniform thickness, and this wall is tied to the southwest wall of the same room. These characteristics suggest that Room 211 was constructed before the tower was remodeled into a kiva. Wall abutments in Rooms 205, 206, and 211 indicate that Rooms 205 and 206 were built before Room 211; therefore, these two earlier rooms also would have been built before the kiva was constructed.

It is clear from wall abutments that Rooms 202, 203, 204, and 207 were built after both the site-enclosing wall and the tower. The construction of these four adjacent rooms might have occurred at roughly the same time that the tower was remodeled into a kiva, an event that would have replaced the tower with a kiva suite. In addition, the ties and abutments of the walls of Rooms 202 and 207 indicate that these two rooms were built as one structure that was then subdivided by the construction of a wall oriented northeast-southwest. The original, larger structure did not appear to have been used as a room before this dividing wall was built.

There are few tree-ring dates for the excavated structures in Block 200. Only four datable samples were found; two are from Room 204. These two samples are of pinyon pine and are suspect as construction timbers (see discussion of pinyon pine, paragraph 19). The samples were collected from the uppermost layer of fill in Room 204, and if this wood was, in fact, from the roof of Room 204, then the structure was either built or repaired sometime after A.D. 1267. If the samples were from the trash that was deposited on the collapsed roofing material, then the dates indicate only that trash was deposited in this room sometime after A.D. 1267.

Room 206 was built after both Tower 212 and Room 205 were constructed; a doorway in the south wall of this structure suggests that this room was associated with an unnumbered kiva adjacent to the south. Room 211 was tacked onto Room 206. There is no evidence to indicate with which kiva this room was associated. Two of the four tree-ring dates for Block 200 were obtained from samples collected from Kiva 208. One sample, dated A.D. 702vv, was found beneath the floor of Kiva 208 and, from the anomalously early date, appears to be from a reused or damaged beam. The other sample, which dated to A.D. 1244rB, was obtained from a fragment of pinyon fuelwood from a burned spot (Feature 34) on the surface of the southern recess and so cannot be used to infer the construction date of the kiva (contra Bradley 1992*2:84, 1993*1:34).

Associations Between Excavated Structures

Three doorways were found in the excavated group of rooms in Block 200. As previously mentioned, two of these were in the southwest walls of Rooms 205 and 206. These doorways suggest that the two rooms were used by the residents of one or more kiva suites adjacent to the south rather than by the inhabitants of Kiva Suite 208. The third doorway is an opening that had been broken neatly through the west wall of Tower 212 (Database Photo 3350). The fact that the doorway was broken through an existing wall, rather than being incorporated into the original wall construction, indicates that the doorway was created after the tower was built. Furthermore, its location well above the floor of Room 204 on the one side and slightly above the bench surface of Kiva 208 on the other side suggests that the doorway was created after the tower had been remodeled into a kiva. Thus, the existence, location, and construction mode of this doorway indicate that Room 204 and Kiva 208 were directly associated. The absence of doorways in the walls of Rooms 202, 203, 207, and 211 leads to the inference that these rooms were accessed through roof hatchways. Proximity suggests that Rooms 202, 203, and 207 were associated with Kiva 208. It is not clear whether Room 211 was associated with Kiva 208 or, like Rooms 205 and 206, with an unexcavated kiva adjacent to the south.

Abandonment

Some of the excavated structures in this block appear to have been abandoned before Kiva Suite 208 as a whole was abandoned. Refuse had been deposited in Rooms 202, 204, and 205 and, although the quantity of trash in these rooms was not great, the presence of refuse indicates that these rooms were abandoned while use of this area of the block continued. However, abundant de facto refuse was found in Kiva 208 (Database Photo 3735), and a moderate amount of this type of refuse was present in Room 203 (Database Photo 2948), suggesting that the suite as a whole was not abandoned until the occupation of the village ended. The presence of de facto refuse also suggests either that the abandonment of these structures was abrupt and unplanned or that the residents expected the move to be long distance.

None of the roofs in the excavated structures had been burned. Remnants of rotted beams were found in Kiva 208 and Rooms 203, 205, 206, and 211. This suggests that timbers from these structures had not been salvaged and supports the inference that these structures were abandoned about the same time that the occupation of the village ended. Room 205, which contained a small amount of refuse and some rotted beams, might have been abandoned only shortly before that time.

Human remains from abandonment contexts in the excavated structures in Block 200 consist of the following disarticulated bones and fragments: two finger bones from wall fall in Room 204; one hand bone found on or near the floor of Room 205; and a cervical vertebra, a cranial fragment, a hyoid, and 15 bones from right and left hands found on or near the floor and in the roof fall of Kiva 208. It is not clear how these bones came to be deposited in these locations.

Unusual structural damage, consisting of two large breaches in the site-enclosing wall, had occurred in the excavated portion of Block 200. One breach was in the northwest wall of Room 202 (Database Photo 2529); the other involved much of the portion of the site-enclosing wall that formed the northwest wall of Room 204 (Database Photo 3349). The damage is not typical of natural collapse, and it is also unlikely that the breaches were caused by natural forces such as a flash flood, because the topography in this area (Database Map 4006) would not have channeled water in the direction necessary to cause such extensive damage. The destruction was therefore apparently the work of humans. Although it is possible that a pothunter in historic times caused the damage, no disturbance to the fill of either room was noted during excavation. As mentioned previously, Rooms 202 and 204 also appeared to be the only two excavated structures in Kiva Suite 208 that fell into disuse before the suite was abandoned; it is not known if this circumstance is related to the observed wall damage.

Summary and Conclusions

There is little evidence to indicate when the excavated structures in Block 200 were built. Construction of the excavated structures appears to have generally proceeded from southwest to northeast, because the unnumbered kivas adjacent to the south of the excavated structures appear to predate the excavated structures. This follows the same west-to-east progression noted for the excavated structures in Block 100. The site-enclosing wall and Tower 212 were probably the earliest two structures to have been built in the area exposed by excavations. Although three rooms contained small amounts of secondary refuse, suggesting that they fell into disuse before Kiva Suite 208 as a whole was abandoned, the absence of secondary refuse in most structures, the amount of de facto refuse in some structures, and the presence of rotted roof timbers in the fills of several structures suggest that Kiva Suite 208 as a whole was abandoned when the occupation of the village ended.

Architectural Block 300

In Architectural Block 300, researchers intensively excavated an aboveground kiva (Kiva 306), three aboveground rooms (Rooms 303, 304, and 307) interpreted as storage rooms, two aboveground rooms (Rooms 305 and 308) of indeterminate use, and four small kiva corner rooms (Rooms 309, 310, 311, and 312) (Database Map 4077). Poorly understood deposits (Nonstructure 314) found beneath the floor of Room 307, and possibly extending beneath adjacent structures as well (Database Map 4077), were sampled. Before excavation began, this architectural block appeared, on the basis of surface evidence, to contain numerous surface rooms but only one kiva, whose presence was indicated by a circular depression in the approximate northeast quadrant of the block (Database Map 4007). To learn more about what seemed to be an unusual block, Crow Canyon researchers selected for excavation a group of six adjacent structures located in the south-central portion of the block as defined (Database Map 4007). These structures initially appeared to be surface rooms, but as excavation progressed, one of the six was revealed to be a second kiva (Kiva 306) that had not been recognizable as a kiva on the modern ground surface. Thus, Block 300 contains a minimum of two kivas, and there may be additional kivas in the unexcavated areas of the block.

The east-west row of excavated structures (Kiva 306 and Rooms 304, 305, and 307) appears to span the full width of the architectural block. North and south of the excavated structures are what appear, from surface evidence, to be additional surface rooms. The distance from the excavated structures to the southern extent of the rubble of this architectural block suggests that an additional one to two rows of structures are present beneath the rubble in this area (Database Map 4007). The possible kiva depression described in the preceding paragraph is located several meters northeast of the excavated structures. West of the block is open space inferred to have been a plaza, and to the east, the ground surface slopes down to Block 400 (Database Map 4007).

Construction Sequence

Although there are no tree-ring dates for this architectural block, the general sequence in which the excavated structures were built was inferred on the basis of wall ties and abutments. Several abutments indicate that Rooms 305 and 307 and the unexcavated structure or structures immediately north of Kiva 306 were built before any of the other excavated structures (Database Map 4077). Thus, the unexcavated buildings northeast of the excavated structures (Database Map 4007) could predate the excavated structures, and construction of the architectural block might have proceeded generally from north to south.

The earliest cultural deposit in the excavated area appears to have been Nonstructure 314, which is refuse beneath the floor of Room 307. This refuse was probably also present beneath the floors of Kiva 306 and Rooms 309–312, and possibly beneath the floor of Room 308. It was not determined whether this material was (1) refuse from unexcavated structures to the north that accumulated on bedrock before the excavated structures were built, (2) material associated with structures or an extramural use area that predated the excavated structures, or (3) refuse brought in as construction material in preparation for the construction of the excavated rooms. This refuse contained a variety of materials (chipped-stone debris, sherds, a core, modified sherds, nonhuman bone, eight complete peckingstones, a two-hand mano, and a bone tube) that could be interpreted to indicate residential use of this block (as opposed to storage; see paragraphs 186–187).

Among the excavated structures, one of the first (and possibly the very first) to be built was Room 307 (Database Map 4077). The tying of the southeast and southwest corners indicates that this one room was tacked onto the wall of a structure to the north in one construction episode. Alternatively, the east and west walls of Room 305 and the unexcavated room immediately south of Room 305 could have been built first; the south wall of Room 305 was probably built during the same episode. It is probable that Kiva 306 was not built immediately after the construction of Rooms 305 and 307, because the southwest bench face of the kiva blocks a floor-level opening (Feature 4, pass-through) in the east wall of Room 305 (Database Map 4080). The space between these two rooms might have been left as a courtyard for a time or might have contained an earlier structure; no evidence of an earlier structure was documented in this area, however. The raised-sill doorway (Feature 3) in the east wall of Room 305 thus appears to have originally allowed access to this courtyard.

The next event could have been either the construction of Room 304 and the unexcavated room to the south or the construction of the west wall of Room 308 and the south enclosing wall of Kiva 306, which are tied. The construction of Room 304 began with the west wall and was completed by the construction of the north and south walls. Room 303, to the north, did not exist at this time. The construction of the west wall of Room 308 and the south enclosing wall of Kiva 306 defined a large, square space within which Kiva 306 and its corner rooms (Rooms 309–312) were then constructed. The ventilation tunnel was part of the original construction of the south enclosing wall (Database Photo 2514), which indicates that the construction of that wall was part of the construction of Kiva 306. In addition, if the west wall of Room 308 continued unbroken to the south, past the southeast corner of Kiva 306, as shown on Database Map 4077, then an unexcavated structure immediately south of Kiva 306 was also constructed during this same event. The raised-sill doorway between Kiva 306 and Room 305 could have been blocked when the kiva was built or any time before or after that.

The wall that formed the east wall of both Room 308 and the unexcavated structure to the south was probably constructed next, followed by the south wall of Room 308. Room 303 could have been the last of the excavated structures to have been built. When this room was built, its east and south walls already existed as walls of other structures. In this construction episode, the wall that formed the west walls of Room 303 and the unexcavated room to the north was built first, and then the wall that separates these two rooms was constructed.

Associations Between Excavated Structures

It is not possible to determine which of the excavated structures were used in association with Kiva 306 and were therefore part of Kiva Suite 306, although the kiva corner rooms (Rooms 309–312) are assumed to have been associated with the kiva. Also, proximity suggests that the rectangular rooms adjacent to the kiva (that is, Rooms 305, 307, and 308) probably were associated with that structure. The presence of a doorway in the south wall of Room 305 suggests that the unexcavated room south of Room 305 was also part of this kiva suite. Although it is possible that Room 304, too, was in this suite, the distance between it and the kiva suggests that association with a different suite is just as likely.

Only two doorways were noted in the walls of excavated structures in Block 300; however, not all the walls in this group of structures were preserved to a height that would allow researchers to confidently conclude that no additional raised-sill doorways existed originally. Nonetheless, it is probable that Rooms 303, 304, 307, and 308 were accessed via roof hatchways. Kiva 306 was also probably entered through a hatchway but, at least for a time, might have been entered through the raised-sill doorway in its west wall as well (Database Map 4077). Although it is likely that this doorway originally opened from Room 305 onto a courtyard that predated Kiva 306, it could have continued in use after the kiva was constructed, providing mutual access between the kiva and the room (it is not known when the doorway was blocked in relation to the construction of the kiva). The doorway in the south wall of Room 305, which also has a raised sill, indicates that this room and the unexcavated room to the south were associated. The presence of this doorway suggests that there is at least one structure in Kiva Suite 306 that was not excavated.

Abandonment

Five lines of evidence suggest that the excavated structures in Block 300 were abandoned while other parts of the village continued to be occupied. First, culturally deposited refuse, though sparse, was found in the collapsed roofing material in Room 305, suggesting that people were living in one or more structures in this portion of Block 300 after the roof of this room collapsed. Second, the partial, fragmentary remains of a child two to three years old (HRO 32) were found in the same collapsed roofing material. It was not possible to determine the circumstances surrounding the deposition of these remains, although the remains apparently came to rest in the room after the roof had partly or completely collapsed. Third, roofing materials appear to have been removed from Kiva 306 (including its corner rooms) and from Rooms 303, 304, and 307, presumably for reuse elsewhere in the village. Fourth, although a moderate number of usable items were found on the floor of Kiva 306 (Database Photo 2520) (which could indicate hurried or catastrophic abandonment of the structure), the northwest and northeast masonry bench faces appear to have been largely dismantled (Database Photo 2526), again presumably so that the materials could be reused in some other construction. Fifth, it is probable that other structure walls exposed during excavation were robbed of stones for reuse—the walls of the excavated structures in this block are, in general, shorter than the walls exposed in other architectural blocks (Database Photo 2666).

Summary and Conclusions

Because there are no tree-ring dates for the excavated portion of Block 300, the structures are poorly dated. However, the masonry style observed in the excavated structures suggests that the block was built during the same occupation as the other blocks investigated at the site. Also, there is no evidence in the pottery assemblage from this block to indicate occupation during a time other than that determined for the tree-ring-dated blocks at the site (that is, the mid–A.D. 1200s). Wall ties and abutments in the portion excavated suggest that the block was constructed during multiple episodes in a generally north-to-south progression. It is not known whether all the structures that were excavated in Block 300 were in Kiva Suite 306; however, the doorway in the south wall of Room 305 does indicate that at least one of the rooms in Kiva Suite 306 was not excavated.

Several construction details observed in the excavated portion of Block 300 are unusual. The long axes of the excavated rooms are oriented north-south, rather than east-west. This orientation is probably not related to the orientation of the site-enclosing wall, because this block is not attached to that wall. Also, the construction style of Kiva 306 is much less formal than that documented for other excavated kivas at this site: the bench face, where preserved, is discontinuous (Database Map 4081); there are no pilasters, formal bench surfaces, or southern recess; and the "corner rooms" are much smaller both horizontally and vertically than the corner rooms of other kivas.

It is unknown whether Kiva Suite 306 was functionally comparable to other kiva suites in the village. However, there is some evidence to suggest that the structures in the excavated portion of the block were used in much the same ways as structures in other blocks in the village. Kiva 306, for example, might well have been used for the same purposes as other ordinary-size kivas—despite its relatively informal construction style, its floor features and assemblages are similar to those documented in other excavated kivas at the site (see Kiva 306 in The Sand Canyon Pueblo Database). Even though this structure was built within a space defined by existing surface rooms, there are no data to indicate that it was not the original building to occupy this space, although the space might have been used as a courtyard before the kiva was constructed.

The excavated structures in Block 300 appear to have been abandoned while other parts of the village were still inhabited. It was not possible to determine whether the deposition of the human remains (HRO 32) in the collapsed roofing material of Room 305 coincided with the end of the occupation of the village or predated that event.

Architectural Block 500

Crow Canyon's testing of Block 500 included the complete excavation of one circular, subterranean kiva (Kiva 501), one surface room (Room 503) inferred to have been used as a mealing room, six rooms that appeared to have been used for storage (Room 504, 507, 508, 510, 511, and 512), two surface rooms for which no use could be determined (Rooms 505 and 506), one subterranean room for which no use could be determined (Room 514), and a courtyard surface (Courtyard 513) (Database Map 4087, Database Map 4001). Also, portions of two middens (Middens 515 and 518) were sampled (Database Map 4087), and a kiva of unknown type (Kiva 517) was tested (Database Map 4009). Midden 515 is located adjacent to the retaining wall at the south edge of the courtyard and appears to be associated with Kiva Suite 501; Midden 518, however, is beneath the floor of Room 512 and could have been associated with an unexcavated kiva suite to the northeast. In addition, small segments of two other walls were exposed in a 2-x-2-m probability test unit (905N 966E) 13 m southwest of Kiva Suite 501, near the southwest edge of Block 500 (Database Map 4009). One of these, oriented northwest-southeast, appeared to be part of a retaining wall. The other was oriented northeast-southwest and had characteristics that are typical of walls of surface rooms. Nothing more is known about these walls.

In Block 500, the intensively excavated structures are several meters east of the inferred location of the site-enclosing wall (Database Map 4009); it therefore is not known if or how the block as a whole related to the wall. East and west of the excavated group of structures are additional structures within this architectural block. Immediately north is a small area of rubble from undefined rooms, and beyond that is the southwest end of an open area inferred to have been a plaza, which is between this block and Block 200. To the south is a small area of open space, and south of that is Block 800, which contains a great kiva.

Construction Sequence

Although no tree-ring dates are available for any of the excavated surface rooms in Kiva Suite 501, there are numerous tree-ring dates for Kiva 501; these dates suggest that the kiva was constructed about A.D. 1252. The chronological relationship between the construction of Kiva 501 and the building of the various surface rooms, however, is not clear (see paragraphs 83–84). In addition, tree-ring samples dating from A.D. 1271+v and 1271+B were collected from the probability unit (905N 966E) at the southwest edge of the architectural block (see paragraph 75). These samples came from a layer inferred to have been intentional construction fill and were beneath strata of culturally deposited refuse. The origin of these samples is thus unknown—the species is pinyon pine, and so the wood might have been from roofing material or might have been fuelwood (see paragraph 19). In either case, the location of these samples indicates that occupation of this architectural block continued until sometime after A.D. 1271.

The ties and abutments of walls indicate that the first construction related to the surface rooms in this kiva suite was a large, irregularly shaped, northeast-southwest-trending structure that was then subdivided into Rooms 503 and 504. The presence of doorways in the east walls of both rooms (Database Map 4087) strongly suggests that the original construction was never intended to be used as one room, but that the dividing wall between the two rooms was part of the original design.

After these rooms were constructed, a large structure oriented east-west was built to the northeast. A short wall stub that was tied to the southwest corner of this new structure abutted the northeast corner of Room 503. The new structure was subdivided, probably immediately, into Rooms 510 and 511. During the next construction episode, a similar pair of rooms was built; the walls of these rooms abutted the south faces of Rooms 510 and 511, as well as the east wall of Room 503. This structure was subdivided, probably immediately, into Rooms 507 and 508. The presence of a small amount of refuse and a firepit (Feature 2) on an earlier surface beneath the floor of Room 508 suggests that at least a short time elapsed between the construction of Rooms 510 and 511, and Rooms 507 and 508.

A large room was then abutted to the southeast corner of Room 511. This was subdivided into Rooms 505 and 506. As with Room 508, a small amount of refuse was found beneath the floor of Room 506, again suggesting that at least a short time passed after the construction of Rooms 507 and 508 before Rooms 505 and 506 were built. Also, it is possible that, unlike the rooms previously constructed, this large room was used for a while before it was subdivided. Evidence of this is a second constructed floor that is above the bases of the walls in Room 505. A firepit (Feature 1) (Database Map 4087) is associated with this upper floor.

After Rooms 511, 505, and 506 were built, trash was deposited for an unknown length of time in the space east of Room 511 and north of Rooms 505 and 506. This refuse deposit was approximately 55 cm thick, and it contained ash and other burned organic materials, which probably originated from a hearth in the unexcavated kiva east of this space or from the firepit (Feature 1) in Room 505. Later, Room 512 was constructed on top of this layer of trash. The walls of this room, the last of the surface structures to be built in Kiva Suite 501, abut Room 511 on the west, Room 505 on the south, and an unexcavated kiva to the northeast.

It is not possible, with the data available, to determine exactly when in the construction sequence Kiva 501 and Room 514 (a subterranean room) were built. The massive retaining wall that defines the courtyard on the southwest, south, and east (see Database Map 4087) was probably constructed to enable the residents to build these two structures and Courtyard 513. The natural sediment depth in the area of the uphill (northern) portion of the kiva was great enough that this part of the kiva could be naturally subterranean, but the east and south walls of the kiva could not have been built below the ground until the ground surface was artificially raised in those areas. The raising of this surface was effected by the construction of the retaining wall and the deliberate placement of fill against the uphill (northwest) face of the wall. The fill that was used to build up the prehistoric ground surface to create the area of Courtyard 513 northeast of Kiva 501 contains a layer of white clay inferred to have originated from the pit excavated prehistorically to construct Kiva 501. Thus, it appears that the courtyard and the kiva were constructed at the same time, with the courtyard being leveled with sediment from the kiva depression.

The retaining wall (and so also Kiva 501, Room 514, and Courtyard 513) was built either at the same time as, or after, Rooms 503 and 504 (Database Map 4087). However, the other end of this retaining wall, in the area of Room 505, was not well defined during excavation, and the outside (east) faces of the retaining wall and the east wall of Room 505 were not observed. It is thus not clear whether this end of the retaining wall abuts the southeast corner of that room (postdating the room) or whether the retaining wall runs parallel to, and outside of, the east wall of the room (probably predating it). If the retaining wall does not abut the corner of Room 505, it probably abuts the wall of the unexcavated kiva east of Room 512, in which case the east wall of Room 505 was probably built inside of, and parallel to, this wall. If this scenario is correct, then the massive retaining wall, and so Kiva 501, could have been built any time after Room 504 was constructed. If, on the other hand, this retaining wall abuts the southeast corner of Room 505, then the kiva would have been one of the last structures built in this suite.

One other scenario is possible, however. In addition to the massive retaining wall, another, shorter section of retaining wall is adjacent to the south wall of the southern recess of the kiva (Database Map 4087). In field documentation (field map no. 2), this wall is labeled "Kiva Upper Retaining Wall." This wall was not well defined, and it is not clear how it relates physically or chronologically to the more massive retaining wall. However, it is possible that this section of retaining wall was associated with the construction of Kiva 501 and that the massive wall around the entire courtyard was not constructed until sometime later. If this scenario is correct, then it is not possible to determine when the kiva was built in relation to any other structure in this suite. Likewise, Room 514 could have been built any time after the necessary retaining wall was built, although it is not known which of the two retaining walls helped to create the necessary sediment depth for the construction of this subterranean room.

Because no tree-ring dates are associated with Kiva 517 (the tested kiva located due east of Kiva Suite 501), little is known about its date of construction. However, there is no evidence to suggest that this kiva was not built, occupied, and abandoned during the inferred occupation span of the village.

Associations Between Excavated Structures

Only one kiva (Kiva 501) was intensively excavated in this block, and the proximity of the rooms to the kiva, the locations of the room doorways observed, and the shape and orientation of the rooms suggest that all the intensively excavated structures were part of Kiva Suite 501. Direct evidence that structures belonged to Kiva Suite 501 consists of exterior doorways in Rooms 503, 504, 506, and 508 that open onto Courtyard 513. Also, unless Rooms 507 and 508 were built in the same construction episode as Rooms 510 and 511 (Database Map 4087), the doorway in the south wall of Room 511 would have originally opened onto the courtyard as well. No exterior doorways were observed in walls that did not front Courtyard 513, although some walls (such as those of Room 505) had collapsed to such an extent that any evidence of raised-sill doorways could have been destroyed.

Three interior doorways, or doorways between rooms, were found between Rooms 503 and 504, between Rooms 506 and 507, and between Rooms 507 and 511, suggesting relationships or spatial organization within the kiva suite. The doorway in the dividing wall between Rooms 503 and 504 originally allowed mutual access between these two rooms, although the blocking of this doorway sometime during the occupation of the suite indicates a change in access between, and suggests a change in the use of, these two rooms. The doorway between Rooms 507 and 511 was an interior doorway only after Room 507 was built in front of Room 511, but the fact that the doorway was never blocked indicates that access between the two rooms was desired. No doorways were found in the walls of Rooms 505, 510, or 512. The walls of Room 510 are preserved to a great enough height that it is unlikely that a doorway was present in any of those walls; entry was thus probably through a roof hatchway. The south and west walls of Room 505 and the south wall of Room 512 are so poorly preserved that it is possible that a doorway originally existed in one or more of these walls.

Abandonment

Most structures in Kiva Suite 501 appear to have been abandoned simultaneously. Evidence of this is the near-absence of refuse in the fill of the structures. Only Room 511 contained unmistakable secondary refuse; lenses of trash were found in fallen wall debris in this room. It is also possible that some refuse was discarded into collapsed roofing material in Room 512. However, this refuse could have accumulated on the structure roof during the use of the room, then entered the room naturally as the roof collapsed. The presence of a substantial amount of de facto refuse on the floors of several structures and on the surface of the courtyard suggests that the abandonment of the suite coincided with the end of village occupation.

The roof of only one structure in this kiva suite, Kiva 501, was burned. This burning was unlike most other structural burning at the site because it involved both large-diameter and small-diameter roof timbers and the collapsed roofing material rested directly on the kiva floor. The location of the roofing material on the floor indicates that the roof was burned at, rather than sometime after, structure abandonment.

One articulated skeleton and a few disarticulated bones were found in abandonment contexts in this kiva suite. The skeleton—the mostly complete, mostly articulated, and burned remains of a woman 45 to 50 years of age (HRO 14)—was found in collapsed, burned roofing material (see Structure 501, Feature 29, in The Sand Canyon Pueblo Database). The circumstances of deposition are not clear, but among ancestral Pueblo people, human remains typically were not burned. Other human remains found in abandonment contexts in Kiva Suite 501 consist of the following: a patella in the collapsed roofing material of Room 503, a phalanx and a mandible fragment in a layer of collapsed wall and roofing material on the floor of Room 504, a metatarsal fragment in collapsed wall debris in Room 511, and an ulna fragment in a layer of collapsed wall and roofing material in Room 514. It is not known how these remains came to be deposited in these locations.

Summary and Conclusions

The intensively excavated structures in Architectural Block 500 appear to have formed one complete kiva suite (Kiva Suite 501) that was constructed about A.D. 1252; a second kiva suite is represented by an undated kiva (Kiva 517) that was tested with a 1-x-2-m pit. Tree-ring dates yielded by samples collected from the southwest edge of the architectural block indicate that occupation of the block continued after A.D. 1271. Other than the four layers of plaster on the kiva walls, the suite contains little evidence of remodeling.

Several other aspects of Kiva Suite 501 are also worthy of note. Wall abutments and ties indicate that the surface rooms in the suite were constructed in a generally southwest-to-northeast progression. The presence of a floor-level doorway and a firepit (Feature 8) beneath a metate bin in Room 503 suggests the possibility that, when Rooms 503 and 504 were built, the former was used for habitation. That the surface rooms were built in fairly rapid succession is suggested by the absence of a leveled courtyard surface beneath the rooms; however, a "burned spot" (Feature 2) was found on unleveled prehistoric ground surface beneath the floor of Room 508 (Database Map 4108), indicating some use of that area before the room was constructed.

The only formal hearth in the kiva suite was in Kiva 501, indicating that most cooking, winter activities requiring heat, and nighttime activities requiring light occurred in the kiva. Kiva 501 is unusual at this site in that it is subterranean and therefore has no corner rooms. It is possible that subterranean Room 514 served a function similar to that of corner rooms associated with aboveground kivas (Bradley 1992*2:86).

Several lines of evidence indicate that the abandonment of Kiva Suite 501 coincided with the end of village occupation, although it was not possible to determine whether the latter was associated with the deposition of the human remains in abandonment contexts.

Architectural Block 800

No structures in Block 800 were completely excavated. Crow Canyon's investigations consisted of the partial excavation of the following: one great kiva (Great Kiva 800); two ordinary-size, aboveground kivas (Kivas 808 and 815); one mealing room (Room 814); one extramural surface (Nonstructure 802); a refuse deposit (Midden 803); and eight surface rooms (Rooms 805, 806, 807, 809, 810, 811, 812, and 813) that partly encircle the great kiva and are inferred to have been associated with that structure (Database Map 4281, Database Map 4001). It is not known whether there are additional encircling rooms in the untested areas northeast, east, southeast, and south of the great kiva (but see paragraph 99).

East of the excavated structures is a cliff. Architectural Block 600 lies to the northeast, Block 500 is to the north, and to the west is open space. The site-enclosing wall is believed to be a few meters southwest of the tested structures and, in this area, is oriented northwest-southeast (Database Map 4001). Some Block 800 structures may abut this wall, but no excavations were conducted in the areas adjacent to the wall. According to the definition of a kiva suite (see paragraph 2), two suites are represented by the two ordinary-size kivas that were tested in Block 800; the presence of the great kiva is not used to infer the existence of a third kiva suite, because this structure is interpreted as public architecture. All buildings tested were aboveground structures. Rooms 805, 809, and 810 were tall, with more than 2 m of wall height preserved, but definitive evidence that they contained two stories is lacking.

Construction Sequence

Because no structures in this block were completely excavated—and some of the evidence yielded by partial excavation is ambiguous—less is known about the construction sequence within this block than that of most other blocks investigated by Crow Canyon. Nonetheless, some general inferences are supported. Wall abutments indicate that Great Kiva 800 was built first (Database Map 4281). Construction of this kiva began with the building of a circular, massive-walled enclosure that rested primarily on bedrock. Most of the stones in the outside face of this wall were shaped, suggesting that the builders expected this face to be exposed (Lipe and Varien 1999*1:318–319). A low, masonry bench was constructed against the inside face of the lower portion of this wall, and the upper portion served as the upper lining wall. The massive wall that enclosed the kiva is hereafter referred to as the "great-kiva wall." The care that went into the preparation of the outside face of this wall suggests that, when the great kiva was built, there were no plans to construct the rooms that later encircled the kiva.

Encircling rooms similar to those associated with Great Kiva 800 have been found with other great kivas and have been referred to variously as "arc-shaped chambers" (Morris 1921*1:122), "peripheral chambers" (Morris 1921*1:121), and "peripheral rooms" (Martin 1936*1:51–53; McLellan 1969*1; Vivian and Reiter 1965*1:94–95). Following the majority, we will refer to the rooms that encircle Great Kiva 800 as "peripheral rooms" throughout the remainder of this chapter. Rooms 805–807 and Rooms 809–813 are peripheral rooms.

Wall ties and abutments indicate that Rooms 805 and 810 were the first of the excavated structures in Block 800 to be built after the great kiva. The raised-sill doorway in the northeast wall of Room 805 would have been an exterior doorway when the room was constructed. The unnumbered room adjacent to, and south of, Room 810 could have been added any time after that. This room was later subdivided, and Room 811 was one of the rooms created by the subdivision. Room 812 could have been built at the same time as Room 811, or it could have been added in a separate construction episode. The abutment of the southeast wall of Room 812 to the southwest wall of the same structure suggests that Room 812 and another room adjacent to the east were built simultaneously, then the cross wall was added. An untested depression that might indicate the presence of another room was noted in this area east of Room 812 (Database Map 4281).

100

There are some inconsistencies in the documentation of the walls in the vicinity of the southwest corner of Room 809 (Database Map 4302); however, the following is a "best guess" of the construction sequence of the structures in this part of the complex. The southwest wall of Room 814 abuts the west wall of Room 805. Also, a more-or-less north-south wall that presumably is the east wall of Room 814 (a mealing room) abuts the north corner of Room 805 (Database Photo 2442). These abutments demonstrate that Room 814 was built after Room 805. Furthermore, the northwest wall of Room 809 abuts the east face of the east wall of Room 814, indicating that Room 809 was built after Room 814.

101

Other aspects of the construction sequence in this block are less clear. In a construction episode that could have occurred any time after Room 814 was built, portions of the south and west walls and floor of Room 814 were removed as part of the construction of Kiva 808. Thus, Kiva 808 was built after Rooms 805, 810, and 814, but the chronological relationship between this kiva and the other peripheral rooms is unknown. The continuous outer walls of, and the abutted dividing walls between, Rooms 809, 813, and 807 suggest that these three rooms were built in a single construction episode. Sometime after Room 807 was constructed, Room 806 (if this space was actually an enclosed room rather than an outdoor work space) was built. A wall (Feature 1) on an extramural surface (Nonstructure 802) was also constructed after Room 807 was built. This feature was either an isolated wall or was part of a structure that has been mostly destroyed by erosion.

102

A few tree-ring dates are available for the abovementioned structures; however, there are no tree-ring dates for Great Kiva 800, which is inferred to have been the earliest structure built. Tree-ring dates for Kiva 808 suggest that this building was constructed in A.D. 1257. Because Kiva 808 abuts a peripheral room (Room 805) and also postdates Room 814, a pre-1257 construction date is suggested for Room 814, Room 805, Room 810, and the great kiva as well. However, a tree-ring sample from the lower fill of Room 814 yielded a date of A.D. 1276vv. It was not possible to determine the origin of this sample, but any of the following scenarios is possible: (1) The wood was from the roof of Room 814, so the room was built (or repaired) sometime after A.D. 1276, and Kiva 808 was built later still. (2) The wood was from the roof of Kiva 808, and it was the kiva that was built or repaired sometime after 1276. Room 814 was built sometime before that, and the great kiva and Room 805 were built earlier still. (3) The sample came from an unidentified structure or feature and indicates only that this area of the village was still occupied until sometime after A.D. 1276. Complicating the issue even further is the fact that the sample is pinyon pine and is suspect as a construction material at this site (see paragraph 19).

103

Given that the dating evidence from the site as a whole suggests that the village ceased to be inhabited by about A.D. 1280, it seems unlikely that Room 814 was constructed after A.D. 1276, because the intervening span does not appear to have been long enough to accommodate all the events that are known to have taken place after the room was built: the room was used for an unknown length of time, then its bins were dismantled, and Kiva 808 was constructed, occupied, vacated, partly dismantled, and burned. If all these events occurred after 1276, the village would probably have been occupied until at least the late A.D. 1280s. Although this scenario is possible, it is more likely that the A.D. 1276 tree-ring date reflects the construction or repair of Kiva 808. This interpretation would be more consistent with a 1280 date for the end of village occupation and the depopulation of the region.

104

A few additional tree-ring dates are available for other tested structures in Block 800. The construction of Kiva 815 was tree-ring dated to A.D. 1269 (see stem-and-leaf plot), but it is not possible to determine exactly when this kiva was built in relation to the other excavated structures in the block, because it does not contact any of the other structures (Database Map 4281). A noncutting date of A.D. 1267vv was derived from a pinyon pine sample found in Room 813 (see paragraph 19 for a discussion of the interpretation of pinyon tree-ring samples). If this sample was, in fact, from the roof of Room 813, then this room and possibly Rooms 807 and 809 were built or repaired an unknown length of time after 1267. A different pinyon pine sample yielded a date of A.D. 1273vv for Room 812; if this sample was from a construction timber, then this peripheral room was built (or repaired) sometime after that year. If the sample was not from the roof, the date indicates only that Block 800 continued to be used until after 1273. This dating of a peripheral room to relatively late in the occupation of the village could be interpreted to indicate that the A.D. 1276 date accurately reflects the time of construction of Room 814 or Kiva 808.

Associations Between Excavated Structures

105

There is less direct evidence of associations between tested structures in Block 800 than in other excavated areas of the site. It is likely that the peripheral rooms were associated with the great kiva in some way, but because there is little evidence of how these rooms were used, it is difficult to characterize that association. It is also not known for certain whether any of the peripheral rooms had doorway-type access into the great kiva, but no evidence of doorways was found in the portions of the great-kiva wall that were observed during testing.

106

Only one doorway links peripheral rooms—a raised-sill doorway between Rooms 805 and 809. It appears that this was originally an exterior doorway and became a doorway linking Rooms 805 and 809 only after the latter building was constructed. There are no doorways between Rooms 806 and 807, 810 and 811, 811 and 812, or 809 and 813 (Database Map 4281). In addition, although excavations confirmed that Room 805 did not have a doorway in its west (or exterior) wall, and no exterior doorways were exposed during testing in other peripheral rooms, it is unknown whether such doorways are present in the sections of walls that were not observed.

Abandonment

107

Evidence suggests that some of the structures tested in Block 800 were abandoned while other parts of the village continued to be occupied. In general, relatively small quantities of de facto refuse were found in the portions of structures that were tested, and this may indicate that most objects that might have been stored or used in these buildings were removed during a leisurely abandonment of these structures. In Room 805, an area of in situ burning was found below collapsed roofing material on naturally deposited sediment that rested on the floor; this is evidence that occupation of the village continued after this room was abandoned or no longer maintained. No collapsed roofing material was found in Rooms 806 and 807, which indicates that the roof beams and sediment were removed when, or sometime after, these rooms were abandoned. Room 814 appears to have been abandoned and its metate bins dismantled when Kiva 808 was built. After the kiva was abandoned, some sections of the bench-face masonry were dismantled and the roof was burned. Evidence also indicates that small portions of the roofs of Rooms 812 and 813 might have been burned.