Megalithic House - Mesa Verde National Park, CO
Posted by: 
94RedRover
N 37° 14.331 W 108° 30.535
12S E 720970 N 4124277
One of the oldest structures in the Far View Group of ruins, Megalithic House is protected under a canopy while excavating and research are performed.
Waymark Code: WM5Q3P
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 02/01/2009
Views: 9
A part of the Far View Group of ruins on the Mesa Top, the Megalithic House is one of the oldest structures in the park. Crumbled walls and lack of debris suggest parts of this structure were torn down and used to build newer ones. The single kiva also suggests it was a one clan house.
The sign here reads:
Megalithic House is an example of architecture found in the region between A.D. 900-1300. Megaliths have been found at many other sites in Mesa Verde including cliff dwellings where they were interspersed with smaller, more finished stones.
When archeologists found this single clan site, the large upright stone slabs (megaliths) were the only evidence that someone once lived here. During excavation, other rooms of this small settlement were slowly revealed.
Clans constitute the priciple political, religious, and social unit of tribal society. Many modern Pueblos are organized in a clan system. One kiva and a small number of rooms in this community indicates that it may have been home to a single clan and those who married into the clan.