Pueblo Bonito, USA

Pueblo Bonito is the largest settlement in Chaco Canyon. Surrounded by a semi-circular wall, this residential block stands in an area between a vertical rock face and a river that is now dried out. The form defining this development is a directional one. It grows towards the former riverbed in a straight line, but with a curve in the direction of the rock face. Dwelling units adhere to the inner side of the solid defensive wall accessible from the roofs, as if descendants of Indian earth houses. The thick, traversable body of the almost 700 rooms connected to each other grows from the wall, which functions as a frame. The thick, terraced semicircle of dwellings overlooks a central plaza. The traversable roofs, terraces, and the plaza next to the two central kivas (ceremonial buildings) cannot be interpreted as a garden. They are rather areas of access and ceremonial use. The composition is an exciting integration of characteristic ceremonial structures of the Navajo Indians and traditional forms of Indian housing. Its masterly stonewall masonry and timbered ceiling evoking a corbelled dome are evidence of superb, thorough building expertise. Smaller kivas, almost 40 in total, are relics of a thriving spiritual-intellectual life.