Pecos Kiva

Description

Pecos National Historical Park in New Mexico is a preservation of a site that was a center of cultural and economic activity from about 1325 AD. The location was on the Santa Fe Trail and functioned as a destination and stop over for traders and travelers from hundreds of miles away. It was populated until about 1830 when the last of the inhabitants migrated to the Jemez Pueblo. The kiva was a common element in pueblo culture, serving as a gathering place for ceremonies, meetings, spiritual gatherings and rituals. Kivas in pueblos are typically at least partially underground, which would have the benefit of warmth in the winter and coolness in the summer.
The walls of kivas were often covered with paintings and murals. Of course, over time these faded and the surface material crumbled. The kiva in this photograph has been largely restored and the ladder rebuilt to allow visitors access to the interior. When entering the kiva, the outside world of light and sound disappears and is replaced by silence and a feeling that is almost ethereal. No doubt this enhanced the ceremonies and rituals that took place.