University of Virginia Library

Kiva 3 (See Fig. 2b)

Kiva 3 lies the southernmost of all the kivas, and flush with the
southernmost room of the pueblo, Room 19. This kiva also presents
a southern extension which makes it assume the "keyhole" form mentioned

in connection with Kiva 1. Kiva 3 has an additional feature in
the form of four pilasters, which adjuncts are reputed to be a San Juan
feature.[3] The kiva itself is almost exactly round, measuring ten feet
ten inches in diameter, north-south and east-west. It was provided
with the usual bench or ledge, ten to twelve inches wide and fifty to
fifty-four inches from the kiva floor. The floor of the kiva is nine feet
below the original surface and is especially featured by being paved
with large slabs of carbonaceous shale. The southern extension of the
kiva measures six feet five inches east and west, and six feet nine inches
north and south. The back or south wall of this extension is varied in
this case by a bulge or pilaster of plastered masonry to accommodate
the ventilator shaft which rises in that place.

The ventilator shaft itself arises behind the fire deflector, and measures
eleven inches by eighteen inches. The usual wooden lintel is in
place. This shaft passes horizontally underneath the southern extension
of the kiva and rises through the pilaster just mentioned.

The deflector differs from that in Kiva 1 in that it is not joined
to the sides of the kiva on each side of the southern extension, but is
a free-standing wall of masonry thirty-one inches long and sixteen
inches high, and of single stone width.

The fire pit lies directly behind the deflector and is augmented by
yet another upright slab on the deflector end which may have served as
an auxiliary deflector or fire screen. The fire pit measures twenty-one
by twenty inches and is eight inches in depth. It was entirely filled,
when found, with fine white ash.

A small hole three inches in diameter, seventeen inches from the
east wall, evidently formed the sipapu. Two other holes of about the
same size, and about three inches apart, were found to the north of the
fire pit midway from the pit to the wall. These may be diagnosed as
loom holes.

In addition to these holes, there occurred a shallow cist through
the carbonaceous shale floor to the west of the fire pit which contained
the entire skeleton of an ordinary dog (Canis familiaris).[4] This had
been slightly flexed to accommodate it to the oval contours of the cist
which lay only eight inches below the floor. The cist had been carefully
covered over with plastered adobe, the outlines of which were in
very marked contrast to the surrounding shale.

The most striking feature of Kiva 3 is undoubtedly the very
good multiple coat of plaster which yet adheres to the walls below
the bench, and especially the series of designs which were incised into
this plaster (Plate X). These incisions take the form of at least seven
different groups of figures, for the most part on the north and west

walls of the kiva. However, others may have been destroyed by the
scaling away of the outer coats of plaster on the rest of the wall. The
figures were done in a casual, yet systematic manner. Among those
which may be tentatively identified are a seeming house design, a maze,
a fish, and a possible vegetable or tree design. These figures may be
studied in the accompanying illustration (Plate X). In addition to the
figures incised into the surface of the plaster, there are traces of paint
of two colors, black and white, on the north wall. No shapes seem to
be represented in the paint traces discernible at present.