Chetro Ketl, Ancestral Puebloan great house in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico.
Chetro Ketl is an Ancestral Puebloan great house in Chaco Culture National Historical Park spanning approximately three acres with a rear wall extending roughly 480 feet (145 meters). The structure contains approximately 400 rooms distributed across multiple stories alongside twelve visible kivas for ceremonial purposes.
Construction began around 990 CE and continued until approximately 1075, during which time the site functioned as a major gathering center for the region. The settlement was eventually abandoned after prolonged drought made habitation of the area unsustainable.
The building displays architectural choices that suggest connections to Mesoamerican construction practices, particularly the raised plaza and colonnade features. Visitors walking through the ruins can observe how these design decisions shaped the spaces where people once gathered.
The site is accessible via a walking trail that connects with a nearby Puebloan settlement and passes through several ruins. Sturdy footwear is recommended since the ground is uneven and desert conditions can be hot and exposed.
The construction of this structure required an enormous gathering of materials that had to be transported across substantial distances, revealing the remarkable logistical coordination of the builders. This massive undertaking demonstrates how organized the community was in mobilizing resources for such an ambitious project.
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