Far View House Background

Today, five "buildings" making up the Far View community of the 1100s have been excavated, while many (mostly much smaller in size) additional unexcavated sites continue their earth's slumber.

The Far View group is situated closer to the northern edge of Chapin Mesa, than the other large dwellings in Mesa Verde. Beginning in the 900s people began a farming community here with ditches on the hill to the north catching rainfall and feeding it to what is today called Mummy Lake. This lake is estimated to have contained as much as a half million gallons of water. Water entering the reservoir at the southeast corner was directed to flow along 180° of the lake's edge, containing the accompanying sediment in a localized area where it could be more easily dredged out. Along the southern perimeter a section of steps provided access for carrying water. It is believed the reservoir was created only for household use since the lake had no outlet.

Far View House itself contains upwards of 50 rooms and 5 kivas. Some rooms were 3 stories tall; 4 of the 5 kivas exist within the perimeter structure surrounded by other rooms, while the fifth lies at the edge of the House. One kiva is larger than the rest with 8 pilasters (pillars to support the roof structure). The roofs of the 4 interior kivas doubled as courtyards of second-story rooms

By the 1100s the community as a whole may have supported 400 to 500 residents in as many as 375 rooms and 32 kivas spread across 18 sites.

WUPATKI MESA VERDE AZTEC CHACO CANYON

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