Casa Rinconada
T-shaped door at Casa Rinconada Russ Bodnar Casa Rinconada and SmallVillages
Located 6 miles from the visitor center on the 9-mile Canyon Loop Drive. The trail through Casa Rinconada and the nearby villages is ½ mile long, round trip. It is graveled, and climbs several short, steep rises, so assistance is recommended for people using wheelchairs. When you visit Casa Rinconada, you may use the trail guide to learn about the diverse types of Chacoan architecture and building styles, and the placement of these buildings in the Chacoan world. While the grand public buildings like Pueblo Bonito and Chetro Ketl were in use, smaller, more typical villages existed alongside. This trail will introduce you to the diversity of architecture that existed at the center of Chacoan culture. Click here to see a wayside exhibit of Casa Rinconada. (To get the Free Adobe Reader, which is required to read this pdf file, click here.) Bring water and carry protection from the sun. 
Possible summer solstice marker on interior wall of great kiva.
Russ Bodnar
Interior of great kiva.
Russ Bodnar
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Did You Know?
While the rocks at Chaco Canyon are the same type of rocks as found at Mesa Verde National Park, there are no large alcoves at Chaco Canyon. A layer of clay in the sandstone at Mesa Verde causes alcoves to form and that layer is missing in Chaco Canyon. More...