Chaco Sites
Kin Klizhin
Site Description:
Kin Klizhin is a small, unexcavated, great house located roughly 10 miles (16.1 km.) southwest of Pueblo Bonito. Tree rings date the construction of this site to the late A.D. 1080s. The structure includes 16 rooms, two kivas, a tower kiva, and an enclosed plaza. It has not been excavated. Due to its high visibility, the three-story tower kiva may have been a signaling station within a broader regional communication system. The structure can be seen from Tsin Kletsin, a great house just south of Chaco Canyon and a Chacoan road that leaves Chaco Canyon through South Gap.
The Kin Klizhin Wash runs just to the east of the great house. In addition to the building itself, several water control features have been noted in the area including a large dam used in association with a canal and ditch system to provide water to large agricultural fields near the great house. Thus, the area had the potential to produce a large amount of food. Survey work conducted in the 1980s disclosed several small house sites in the area.
Alternate site designations include 29SJ1413 and LA 4975.
Excavation History
- Unexcavated
Size and Dates
- Approximately 16 rooms and three kivas (one tower kiva)
- Tree-ring dates indicate construction in late 1080s
