Ancestral Sites Tour - Pueblo Ceremonial Room

Climb down the ladder into this reconstructed kiva, a place where Pueblo people performed rituals to ensure their wellbeing. Each kiva society conducted different kinds of ceremonies to ensure a successful hunt or harvest or to cure the sick. Rows of loom anchors (twig loops embedded in kiva floors) show that kivas were also workrooms where men wove the kilts and sashes worn by dancers. 

Kiva Diagram 

Pecos Pueblo has more than 20 kivas. They share some similar features: an entryway (A) through the roof, which also served as a chimney; a ventilator shaft (B) to conduct fresh air into the room, typically oriented toward the east; a deflector (C) to shield the fire from drafts; and a fire pit (D). Some kivas also have a small hole in the floor called a sipapu (E), which symbolizes the Pueblo people’s emergence from the underworld. Many Pueblo people see the kiva as a depiction of their universe, with the sipapu representing what lies below, the kiva floor symbolizing this world, and the roof entry representing what is above.