THE AMERICAS: NORTH AMERICAN CLIFF DWELLINGS AND STRUCTURES Angela Ngo Arch 115-02 Survey of Architecture I Fall, 2007 Arch 155-37/38: Adel Al-Zahrani
Structure and Materials The Anasazi used materials found in nature to build their structures. The first buildings were pit houses that were dug into the ground. Eventually they moved above ground, and finally, they settled within the cliffs of Chaco Canyon. These cliff dwellings and kivas (circular forms) were constructed of sandstone, mud, water, and ponderosa pine because these resources were readily available. Sandstone was shaped into building blocks, mud and water was used as a mortar, and ponderosa pine supported the floors and roofs of the structures as well as joined the walls and served as lintels for doors. No single wall was identical to another; every inch of each building was unique. Kivas were dug into the ground or built behind rectangular walls and packed with earth. Inside was a fire pit, a short wall to deflect its heat, and a small Natural materials hole (referred to as a sipapu) that represented an entrance to the spirit underworld. Amazingly, these structures were built only by the use of manual labor and stone tools. Stone axes were used to cut logs and to chip pieces of sandstone into blocks. Over the centuries, the plaster coatings of mud have been worn away by the weather, but in general, the structures have been well preserved due to the cliff
overhangs that protect them from the wind and rain. These structures can still be seen today in almost the same form as they were built. Form and Space The cliff dwellings and kivas were built into the natural contours of Chaco Canyon s walls. Because of the cliffs, the heights of the buildings were limited; the tallest houses were five stories. The natural look and color of Plan of Pueblo Benito; flat side aligned with the sun and moon these structures blended in with the site around them. Some villages and towns were oriented with the north-south axis. In the layout of Pueblo Bonito, the sun, moon, and their cycles were aligned with its flat side. For Mesa Verde, many of the houses were built on the south-facing walls; during the Mesa Verde day, the weather would be cool, but in the afternoon, they received heat from the
setting sun. The position was also beneficial in the winter because the low sun provided heat. The design featured multiple massing. Separate families lived in their own houses as part of a small village. All the shapes used were either rectilinear or circular. Housing units were orthogonal while kivas were cylindrical. Each unit was built vertically upwards, while individual units comprised the horizontal massing. The interior and exterior were made of the same material and were the same shape. Usually, the inside of a house was plastered with a thin layer of mud to create a smooth surface which was sometimes decorated with color. Within the houses, the most important spaces were the highest floors. At the top was a cooking Sleeping/ Cooking room; beneath it was a sleeping room, and at the Sleeping Storage lowest levels were storage rooms because natural light did not enter into the space. Sleeping Storage Storage Natural Light entering a house Cultural Significance and Interpretation The Anasazi had been living in the Four Corners region (where New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado come to a point) since 350 CE. It wasn t until 1200 CE
that they began building cliff dwellings. Initially they had been living in pit houses and above ground, but in cases such as Mesa Verde, they migrated into the cliffs to provide more land Ground Line for farming above. Logs Dirt In addition to protecting the citizens from the weather, it also protected them Section cut of an Anasazi kiva from their enemies. These houses and kivas were all part of the villages they belonged to. Houses were used for cooking, sleeping, and storage. The inside of kivas served as a place for community meetings and religious ceremonies. The roof of a kiva was used as a dance platform that men would perform on. The purpose of the towers has never been defined; some theorize that they were used to send signals and watch for visitors, and others believe they might have had spiritual significance. Some entire villages may have been designed to incorporate religion or solar cycles (such as the aforementioned Pueblo Benito). Because the Anasazi abandoned their villages around 1300CE, many questions are still left unanswered. Hundreds of years later, their cliff dwellings were discovered, and eventually, many sites were made into national parks which are open to the community today.
Annotated Bibliography Anasazi: Architecture. Manitou Cliff Dwellings. 11 June 2004. 26 November 2007. <http://www.cliffdwellingsmuseum.com/arch.htm>. Arnold, Caroline. The Ancient Cliff Dwellers of Mesa Verde. Hong Kong: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. The Ancient Cliff Dwellers of Mesa Verde was one of the most informative books on cliff dwellings. The book is very easy to read and understand, especially for those who are unfamiliar with the Anasazi. She describes their history as well as how Mesa Verde became a national park. There are numerous photographs that accompany and support the text; pictures range from artifacts to materials to the site itself. Bassett, Carol Ann. Roots of Regionalism: Great Stone Cities : Pueblos and Cliff- Dwellings of the Anasazi. Architecture March 1984: p. 98-100. Haldeman, Peter. Revisiting Mesa Verde: The National Park Sets a New Cultural Center in Motion. Architectural Digest June 2004: p. 70-74. Peter Haldeman s article is packed with relevant information about Mesa Verde. He gives some history of the Anasazi and how they ended up in the cliffs. The most important details were the materials; Haldeman describes what the Anasazi used to construct their buildings starting back with pit houses, then above ground, then in cliffs. Nabokov, Peter and Robert Easton. Native American Architecture. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1989. Nabokov and Easton s book on Native American Architecture thoroughly describes all the different kinds of cliff dwellings. They elaborate on the history of how the Anasazi ended up in the Four Corners region. They also go into detail about various tribes and how their architecture differed from each other. There are many photographs showing specific elements and materials. In addition, they include numerous diagrams to show the contrast of different villages. Picture of Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado. Mesa Verde National Park Picture. PlanetWare. 28 Nov. 2007 <http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/mesa-verde-national-park-coloradocomv5.jpg>. Scully, Vincent. Pueblo Architecture of the Southwest: A Photographic Essay. Meriden: The Meriden Gravure Company, 1971. The purpose of this book is to present the beauty of cliff dwellings. This book contains many beautiful photographs, but for the purposes of research, it contains
little information about the history and architecture of cliff dwellings. The beginning introduction contained some facts; however, the majority of the book is photographs with captions. Shady. Gila Cliff Dwellings, Silver City, New Mexico. Gila Cliff Dwellings. 1996. Lost Destinations. 28 Nov. 2007 <http://www.lostdestinations.com/gila/gila062.jpg>.