Unit Type House

Unit Type House may not be easily studied from the viewpoint, but its inner architecture is typical.

NPS photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Square Tower Group

Significance:

Typical unit ancestral Puebloan structure.

Amenities

1 listed

Scenic View/Photo Spot

Unit Type House is the name archaeologists gave to a basic building plan they noticed early on at sites in the Southwest. This one is a perfect example – a few living and storage rooms and one kiva – possibly home to a family or a clan. Most larger pueblos expanded by simply repeating this idea.

The single kiva here is of the Mesa Verde style. Two of the openings in the wall of the room east of the kiva were possibly used to mark summer and winter solstices, information that is extremely useful to farmers. The inner architecture is not visible from trail. Alternate views of Unit Type House may be seen from Eroded Boulder House View, Tower Point, and Rim Rock House (across the canyon).

The unique stone towers and other buildings at Hovenweep are extremely fragile. To help preserve them, observe proper site etiquette.

• Remain on marked trails.

• Do not enter or touch any structure.

• Do not touch or disturb any artifacts, including pottery sherds, arrow points, or rock art. Once removed from context, the story they tell is gone forever.