URBAN GENESIS AT CHACO: Case Study of the Origin of Civilizations.
Chapters: 123456
4.8 Enlargements of Pueblo Bonito
Figures 4.17 and 4.19. The second stage of Pueblo BonitoÕs
growth shown in figure 4.19 corresponds to figure 4.17. The subsequent
stages shown in figure 4.19 show that the eleventh and twelfth-century
designers tried to maintain the arc-like form of the original plan.
Eventually the radius of the initial arc became inadequate to
accommodate further expansion. To resolve this problem the focus around
which later roomblocks were oriented shifted southward several times.
This shift in focus was no mean feat. On two occasions great kivas were
filled in and replaced with new kivas, just to accommodate a slight
change in the position of the plaza. In the 1075-1085 building campaign,
new room-blocks were added to the east and west end of the great-house
to make the structure correspond to a much larger arc. To create the new
western room-block, the orthogonal block built in the 1050s was
obliterated (Lekson 1984:115 and 117, and figure 4.19). Furthermore, to
make the entire great-house correspond to this larger arc, the new wings
were splined into the older back walls at the point of contact. The old
walls were partially dismantled, beams were inserted into the exposed
cavities as splines, and then the new and old masonry were
interfeathered and plastered over to create a seamless connection
between the two (personal observation, 1992).