Aztec West Audio Tour: Stop #10

The tenth numbered stop on the Aztec West self-guided audio tour.

NPS

The trail through the Aztec West great house is 0.5 mile in length and requires about 40 minutes to complete using the audio tour. Most of the trail is paved and accessible to wheelchairs, with some steps and low doorways. Wheelchairs are available at the visitor center to borrow upon request.

• Stop #10

  
  

  The tenth numbered stop along the Aztec West self-guided trail.
  Audio Transcript

  T-shaped doorways commonly open onto the plaza and other community spaces, including kiva roofs. Their shape may have been symbolic and important. The T-shaped imagery is still used in modern pueblos. This row of rooms parallel to the trail was added after the original Chacoan construction. Notice the difference in masonry types between the inner and outer walls. Like pottery, this masonry shows how ancestral Puebloan preferences shifted with the availability of resources, material needs, or artistic tastes. Factors like these influence trends in all societies.