Kiva - Underground House

In the depression is a kiva, meaning "cellar" or "underground house." Men are the primary users of kivas, while women and children have access during certain ceremonies and seasons. This kiva is 14 by 17 feet and 6 feet deep. Its floor and benches were paved with flagstones, and a vertical loom for weaving cotton was anchored to the roof and floor. At abandonment, many kivas were ritually closed, with air shafts and hearths filled and sealed and their roofs burned.

Arizona · United States