Bernalillo in Sandoval County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Kivas

Photographed by James Hulse, April 9, 2025

1. Kivas Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

The pit-like structures to your right and left are the ruins of underground chambers called kivas. The Pueblo Indians of today conduct many of their religious ceremonies in similar kivas although they are now generally built above ground.

"These young men live in the estufas (kivas), which are located in the patios of the pueblo. They are built underground, either square or round, with pine columns. The floors are paved with large smooth slabs like the baths in Europe. In the interior there is a fireplace like the binnacle of a boat where they burn a handful of brush with which they keep up the heat. They can remain inside the estufa as in a bath. We saw some so large that they could be used for a game of ball. If a man repudiates his wife he must come to the estufa. It is punishable for the women to sleep in the estufa or to enter them for any other purpose than to bring food to their husbands or sons."

Spanish:
Estas estructuras en forma de hoyoro pozos que se ven a derecha e izquierda son las ruinas de las cámaras subterráneas llamadas kivas. Los indios Pueblos de hoy en día efectúan muchas de sus

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ceremonias religiosas en kivas similares, aunque ahora, por lo gereral, éstas se construyen sobre el nivel del suelo.

"Estos jóvenes viven en las estufas (kivas) que se localizan en los patios del pueblo. Están construídas bajo tierra y son ya sea cuadradas o redondas, con columnas de pino. Los suelos estan pavimentados con losas grandes y lisas como los baños en Europa. En el interior hay una chimenea parecida a la bitácora de un barco, en donde queman un manojo de zacate para calentar el lugar. Estos hombres pueden permanecer dentro de la estufa como si fuera un baño. Vimos algunas estufas tan grandes que se podrían usar para un partido de pelota. Si un hombre repudia a su esposa, tiene que venir a la estufa. Las mujeres están sujetas a castigo si duermen en la estufa o si entran en ellas con cualquier otro propósito que traer comida a sus esposos e hijos."

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 35° 19.791′ N, 106° 33.456′ W. Marker is in Bernalillo, New Mexico, in Sandoval County. It is on Kuaua Road half a mile east of U.S. 550. The marker is located in the Kuaua Ruins (Coronado Historic Site). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 485 Kuaua Rd, Bernalillo NM 87004, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the San Juan Basin

and in Greater Albuquerque.

It is also in the American Southwest

and at the Four Corners.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also the Republic of Texas.

Other nearby markers.

Two Kivas and the Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, April 9, 2025

2. Two Kivas and the Marker

At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pedro de Castañeda (a few steps from this marker); Experimental Archaeology / Arqueología Experimental (a few steps from this marker); The Plazas / Las Plazas (a few steps from this marker); The Pueblo of Kuau (a few steps from this marker); Pueblo (within shouting distance of this marker); Kuaua (within shouting distance of this marker); Archaeological excavations / Excavaciones arqueológicas (within shouting distance of this marker); Grind the Meal (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bernalillo.

More about this marker. There is a small fee to visit the Kuaua Ruins (Coronado Historic Site).

Also see . . .
1. Coronado Historic Site. New Mexico Historic Sites

Coronado Historic Site and the ancient Kuaua Pueblo are located just minutes north of Albuquerque (off of I-25, Exit 242) in Bernalillo. In 1540, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado—with 500 soldiers and 2,000 Indigenous allies from New Spain—entered the Rio Grande valley somewhere near this site. Coronado was searching for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold.

(Submitted on May 25, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

2. Kiva. Wikipedia

A kiva is a space used by Puebloans for rites and
Photographed by James Hulse, April 9, 2025

3. A filled in Kivas at Coronado Historic Site
political meetings, many of them associated with the kachina belief system. Among the modern Hopi and most other Pueblo peoples, "kiva" means a large room that is circular and underground, and used for spiritual ceremonies and a place of worship.

(Submitted on May 26, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

A Look Inside - Reconstructed Kiva at Edge of the Cedars State Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, March 28, 2025

4. A Look Inside - Reconstructed Kiva at Edge of the Cedars State Park

Credits. This page was last revised on May 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 25, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 132 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 26, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.