Chaco Sites
Kin Kletso
Site Description:
Kin Kletso (Navajo for “yellow house”), is a McElmo-style great house with approximately 65 rooms and 5 kivas. The kiva at the western end of the building has been identified as a tower kiva. The ground plan is rectangular and, unlike many earlier great houses, there is no associated great kiva and no plaza. The pueblo was three stories on the north side, dropping to two stories over the remainder of the building. Kin Kletso is located roughly 0.5 miles (0.8 km.) northwest of Pueblo Bonito and is accessible at the beginning of the National Park Service Pueblo Alto trail. Construction has been dated to A.D. 1125-1130 based on a strong cluster of tree-ring dates.
Alternate site designations include Yellow House, 29SJ393, LA 2464, and Bc 248.
Excavation History
- 1934: Excavated by Edwin Ferdon and the University of New Mexico/School of American Research field schools.
- 1950, 1951, 1953: Excavated by Gordon Vivian and Thomas Mathews of the National Park Service.
Size and Dates
- Approximately 65 rooms and five kivas.
- Tree-ring dates indicate construction from A.D 1125 to 1130.
