Life in the Village

Life in the Village. . Did you notice where the trail passed over the faint outlines of the rooms? Over 100 rooms formed a one-story apartment complex surrounding a central plaza in the village. The building materials for the pueblo were blocks of native sandstone, shaped by hand, and mortared together with mud. The exterior and interior walls were finished with plaster., The structures above ground served as living quarters and storage rooms. There were also several subterranean rooms, or kivas, such as the one behind you. Kivas are ceremonial and religious structures. These likely had flat roofs with a square entrance, fresh air was drawn through a small ventilation shaft., The plaza was the center of activity in the village. By examining artifacts and structures found at Puerco Pueblo and their context, researchers are able to reconstruct the daily life of its inhabitants. Everyday tasks such as the preparation of food or the manufacture of tools, pottery, and baskets occurred in this space. In addition, ceremonial activities took place within these walls that tied the community of Puerco to their ancestors and to their neighbors in the region.