Station 3.
In the corner of the court to your left are corn grinding bins. Women knelt with their heels against the wall and ground corn, dried nuts, berries and roots on the large flat stone, the metate, with the small hand stone, the mano.
The circular room directly ahead of you is one of two found in this dwelling. Circular rooms were not common but they have been found in several ruins.
The Second Court. Main street section.
Note the passageway or “street” which provided access to rooms at the back of the cave in this part of the dwelling.
Ground plan of a kiva.
Sipapu Pilasters Banquette Firepit Deflector Ventilator Shaft
Step into the courtyard and look into the kiva. The name kiva is a modern Hopi Indian word meaning ceremonial room. Judging by present day Pueblo Indian custom, generally only men would be members of kiva societies which performed religious ceremonies for bringing rain, good crops and general well-being to the village. Women undoubtedly assisted in some ceremonies. When no rituals were being held, the kiva probably was used as a clubroom and workroom by men.
The ventilator shaft brought fresh air into the kiva. The deflector was a baffle to keep the air from blowing directly across the firepit in the floor. The fire provided light and warmth. The sipapu (see-pah-pooh) was a symbolic opening from the underworld of the gods and spirits. The bench, or banquette, was a shelf or storage space. The pilasters, of which there are generally six, were roof supports. Entrance to the kiva was by means of a ladder through a hatchway in the roof.
If you want to go into a kiva, climb down the ladder in front of the next courtyard. Notice the cribbed roof. This is a restoration copied from originals found in place in other ruins.